Hollowed Moonshine
by S. A. Morley
Summary: U-Mos has just been killed. Worse yet, his killer was the Emperor Ing himself, somehow resurrected from his defeat. A lone Luminoth girl, named E-Mir, watches it all transpire. Horrified and confused, she attempts to delve into the mysteries of U-Mos' death and the now-living Ing Horde, all the while tangling herself into a subsurface plot that defies the meaning of life itself.
1. Battered and Beaten

**Hey, there! I've been out of commission for a **_**long**_** time now, so if anyone is still acknowledging my existence, then thanks for reading this story! :D If it isn't as top notch as previous, then you should know I'm kinda rusty. : /**

**Before I begin, I have to correct something in the summary. It was slightly too long for the character limit, so here it is in better detail:**

_**When the Ing manage to kill U-Mos, the Luminoth are sure it is their end. But the Emperor Ing promises odd tidings, that in three days, U-Mos shall rise. His promise is disturbing, yet the Luminoth hope. Then their hope becomes horror when the Emperor's promise rings gruesomely true.**_

**Better? I thought so. **

**Anyway, this epic masterpiece of **_**Hollowed Moonshine**_** is a request by Silver the Wolfwrath. It is post-Echoes, so keep that in mind as it progresses. Also, I've tweaked quite a bit of the original story I had created prior to insert Silver's OC. Bear with me during the early stages; it'll get much better as it goes! (Silver's OC is the narrator, but even though she isn't mentioned in the summary, she's got a huge role in the story. The section before the break is just a bit of back-story, since she isn't my character.) I hope Silver likes it!**

**Review and enjoy. Forgive me of any errors, as always.**

_**Hollowed Moonshine**_**... **

**Part One: Battered and Beaten**

Planet Aether. Many memories prowl my mind when I imagine its terrain. From the rugged crests of the Tempest Valley, to the thickets of Torvus Forest, the vertigo-heights of the Sanctuary, and the withering barrenness that is Agon, I wander mentally. The visions I see of these places are as vivid as noonday, and have never faded from recollection ever since I awoke from stasis that jubilant morning.

The landscapes of Aether were not the only apparitions ingrained within my mind. There was one other factor; not a sight, nor a smell, neither a touch or a sound. It was a simple, burning question that raged with an uncanny desire for truth.

_ ...What had become of my parents?..._

I remember it fondly, the day that they vanished from my world. It was a day of panic and disarray for the Luminoth, when our Sentinel U-Mos declared a state of perpetual danger upon our fair planet. The parasitic mongrels we had dubbed the Ing were nigh on the approach of capsizing our whole existence, and without proper handling, we could very well lose our war. With unchallenged heroism, he ordered all of the Luminoth into stasis, where we slept until the day that Aether's Light was restored and reunified.

My father, K-Mir, being one of the head technological engineers, was immediately called to serve as a proctor for the stasis operations. E-Lre, my mother, assisted him with her chemist background in brewing the concoctions to be used for the stasis drafts. These potent drafts would be continuously fed into the stasis pod for each Luminoth in the mandatory operation. Many Luminoth I knew fell into stasis within a few short weeks, and as my parents worked tirelessly, others followed suit. Our numbers dwindled, while the might of the Ing only grew.

Although I helped occasionally, watching my parents work tirelessly with the scientists was leeching. I wondered back then if I would ever see them when they were not on the brink of collapsing from stress and meticulous labor. Point-cycles passed by as if in heartbeats.

When my time came to enter stasis, it came much too quickly.

My fear from that hour still shakes my hands and shivers my spine, though cycles have passed. E-Lre gave me a passionate, motherly embrace, which she held for many moments. I could feel the mourning that emanated from her very body as she squeezed me into her chest, murmuring, "Sleep well, my dear," in a weak, trembling voice that was not her typical tone. We all were dreading that day. She and my father would remain awake till the small remainder of the Luminoth were in stasis. Which entailed, leaving me behind.

K-Mir had tears in his rich blue eyes, which shone with a gloomy light of farewell. The mutual glint that hinted E-Lre's amethyst eyes put me on tenterhooks as they whispered baleful goodbyes, and then, with reluctancy eased me into my stasis pod. I watched them through its small window for as long as I could till my consciousness succumbed to the drafts, drinking in my last glimpses of my parents' faces.

It was only after I awoke from my strange, dull dreams several cycles later did I realize that those final images of E-Lre and K-Mir would have significant intrigue for my future.

When I left my pod, I came to the knowledge that my parents were nowhere to be found on Aether. Through tears and terror, I searched and searched, yet there were no traces of them throughout. As far as I knew, I was the only member of the _Mir_ Luminoth on the face of the planet.

The question mutated into a thirst.

_...What had become of my parents?..._

Not a soul knew.

Not even U-Mos.

I was lost without parents, and, subsequent, became a sole wayfarer amongst my people as we slowly rebuilt our society. I provided for myself through ease and hardship, worked, and kept a stoic hand to any distractions that would tempt me from my path. I served well, mostly, but due to my youth at the time, I was unsuccessful.

Though the threat of the Ing Horde had gone due to the valiant acts of Samus Aran, I could not shirk the feeling that the Luminoth were not totally at peace. Perhaps it was because of my companionless life, I am unsure. Yes, as an era of glorious healing and unity followed The Conquering, I remained skeptical and perplexed as my cycles increased.

Eventually, I could not stand the paranoia, the questions, and the solitude any longer. I left Aether and sought the life of a Galactic Federation bounty huntress, just as our savior Samus Aran. I wanted to see the outlets of the universe beyond the confines of Aether, realize who I was and who I was to become, and to understand somehow the way my parents had vanished that Awakening Day.

So far, I am still scouring.

At one-hundred and fifty cycles (seventeen, in human years), I was one of the budding recruits in the Galactic Federation Army. I have proceeded since to the D Bronze ranking, and am currently working to progress.

My name is E-Mir.

* * *

><p>It had been a multitude of cycles since I had seen my beautiful Aether, and by the news I had received, it was healing from its war-scars wonderfully. Homesick from my expeditions amongst the stars, I turned the nose of my ship, Dream, wayward home, eager to stand upon the Light-enriched soil.<p>

I piloted Dream with optimism towards the gorgeously-glistening planet in the Dasha Region, accelerating eccentrically, much to the engine's dismay. A pearl within the darkness, my soul fluttered at the sight of it.

"Home," I whispered ecstatically.

Pushing Dream harder (the engines threatening to burst), I breached the odd surplus of cloud cover overlapping the atmosphere, surveying my bright memories. Comparing them to the image of Aether that I was seeing, I soon fell into disappointment.

The ground rushing below me was washed with shadows as evening encroached. I had missed the sunshine that I remembered so fondly, arriving into the late hours of night. I discovered with some concern that the world was barely lit by the last remnants of daylight - the moon was entirely absent.

Fleeting over the trees of Torvus, I also found that the deluge of The Cataclysm had recessed. Even the cracked, dead ground of Agon had sprouted with lush vegetation and the promise of new life with coming rains. The lifeblood of Aether was pulsing fervently, I could sense.

With new hope, I flew from their bounds and on towards the Tempest Valley, zooming along canyons and farmland. I was overwhelmed by nostalgia when gazing out of the windows. Aether had become such a breathtaking planet in my absence, and I was anxious to live within its wings again; to abandon my stresses with the Galactic Federation and thrive amongst the Luminoth. Living unworried had never been more inviting after my extensive, gruff hours of training and discipline with the humans.

Finally, Dream surpassed the heights of Sentinel's Cave, the lone cave that oversaw the vast expanse of the Tempest Valley. With a heaving shudder of a sudden wind pick-up over the mountains, my eyes widened, and I loosed my grip on the steering in awe.

It was truly a humbling sight, its beauty stretching beyond the limits of my front windows. Shaped like a basin, Tempest Valley was the largest valley on Aether and home to the majority of the Luminoth occupying. Within its center was the Luminoth civilization of Tempest, a blustery, tightly-bound place with elegant, towering buildings. I remembered it cleverly from my childhood.

Enclosing the civilization was a massive ring of steep cliffs and craggy mountains, which rocketed skyward at staggering heights. They shone brilliantly with the beams of sunset when at a prime hour, but tonight, they were grisly and intimidating in the dimness.

At the distance I was, not much had changed since I had gone. But I was keen to see what had at a closer perspective, and lowered Dream through the altitudes till the mountainsides' shadows swallowed me. Dream pressed forward and skimmed the roofs of the Luminoth homes, searching for a place to land. Eventually it located a landing site; a small, vacant area unburdened by a building. The loose grass speckling the space was ripped from the earth and into the air in a whirlwind as the ship set itself onto the ground. I opened the door.

When I emerged from Dream onto the surface of my homeworld, I was plentifully surprised.

The Aetherian sky was dim and grey, with ominous clouds boiling above the mountains. Thunder rumbled from the clouds and billowed along the Valley, echoing through the stone and metalwork that comprised the surrounding homes' structures. The drastic change of the summer humidity startled my lungs. I breathed in the heavy, rain-scented air and sighed, for the solemnity hovering about was remarkable.

"I have never seen such sinister weather, "I thought aloud to myself, peering into the clouds overhead. "Not even during The Crisis..." It was a touch disquieting.

I sought refuge from the impending storm and decided to leave the site. Envisioning the faces of those I loved provoked me to secure Dream from any unwanted intruders, namely, those confounded Splinters.

"I will be back later," I told it calmly. "Lock yourself, all right?" It obeyed, and its wings curled on itself till the ship was nothing but a large, shining black oval of metal.

Upon turning towards the exit of the place, a random, rogue gust of wind blasted me head-on. It sucked my breath, throwing me to the ground where I sat in alarm, attempting to breathe. Bracing myself, my antennae and wings flapped wildly, my eyes stinging and bleary. The wind was hot and relentless, it shifted my body even as I was erect. It was so powerful that it rattled the windows of Dream, and visibly splotched it with spots of heat.

But then, the wind passed as fast as it came, and before I could resume my way, I caught the awful stench that lingered on its tail; the nauseous stench of sweat, blood, and decay combined. I had to restrain myself from gagging as my stomach twisted into knots.

A few moments idled in silence. Cautiously, I stood, fanning my legs with bent knees in case another monstrous wind assaulted me. The world around me was rigid, the red, spherical decorations adorning the walls of the homes seemingly becoming eyes that were scrutinizing me. I will admit to feeling a tad foolish in fearing the wind, but as I continued relaying the happenings in my mind, I knew without a doubt that that particular gale was unusual.

I gathered my wits and began to walk towards the exit of the site again, luckily unabated by the weather. However, a gentle breeze meandered in the place of the stillness below, with the grouses of the clouds' thunder in harmony above. The weak breeze played with my antennae and wings, hissing through the leaves of geer trees that hung over the doorway to the site.

After passing below them, I gave a startled squeak. My feet were suddenly on cool grass, the blades dappled with dew that chilled my toes. Padding into the grassy alcove, I flipped my head to and fro carefully, alert for any abnormal procession. I seemed to be alone.

I had calmed to a degree to lower my hands from my shoulders, and glanced at the encompassing structures. At ground level were single doors etched into stone, which were secured by hologram modules. Flecking the face of the building erratically above the doors were an abundance of windows made from beautiful molded glass, which twinkled dimly.

"Dwellingplaces," I said to the quiet. "I wonder if anyone is home?" I reached to the stone, dragging my fingers across it, perplexed. "Where is everyone?"

Walking along the margin of the building, I stopped when my fingers touched a window. Turning my head, I gazed into my reflection. The Luminoth had a shining, slate-hued carapace, emblazoned with runes and markings of a soft purple. Her eyes were equally the same. She had a furry chest of dark, silky fur striped with black, and her delicate, yet thick antennae were colorized likewise. She had a glorious pair of wings that were stunningly red, but what truly was evident about her was the small, blue crescent-moon symbol upon her forehead. Yes, she was a Luminoth, but her physical appearance manifested the presence of something..._ alien._

I was so immersed within my reflection that the vicious crackle of lightning frisked my heart. I gasped and stumbled away from the window just as the crooked claws of the lightning raked the skies, sending the clouds in a blaze. Not only was Tempest Valley alight, but the mountains were as well in a fearsome array of gray, black, and white. I glanced about the monochromatic Valley, rattled.

The echoing thunder attracted my attention to where it was the most profound: the cliffs of Sentinel's Summit. Far upon them, I spotted something. Something that did not belong. It was tall, I could tell even from this range, and black as a yawning pit. It could have been a slab of shadowed rock, but I knew better than to overlook the splash of burning crimson that it bore.

Before I could fathom my sighting, another screaming bolt of lightning struck the rooftops. A surging moan issued from the roofs of the homes around me, and a bright flash spewed from the light generator on the leftmost roof, shedding white, hot sparks. I covered my head and ran from its vicinity, slipping on the wet grass in the process, directly onto my face. The ensuing boom from the strike pummeled my chest, and I struggled for breath, writhing on the ground pitifully.

In the aftermath of the lighting strike, a chorus of surprised shouts issued from the stricken building. I watched for a few moments as several Luminoth came to their windows, extending their heads from of their blacked-out homes to check the generator. The wind picked up momentum, and soon any outside had eddying antennae.

"What happened? Was it the storm?" an older male with green markings asked over the rushing wind.

Another had to reply after he spat out his antennae, which had been tangled in his mandibles as he examined the now-steaming generator. _"Plfh! _Ah, I believe so! A slash of lightning it seems!" He leaned further out of his window to shout, "W-Nia! How does the generator look?"

One of the building-occupants had crawled from a ceiling door to reach the roof, where she now stood at the generator's base. She squinted at the melted steel, covering her mouth from the steam it emitted. "In bad condition," she responded. Looking towards the clouds, she shook her head. "No use trying to repair it in this weather. Any who tries will be fried." She turned and commanded, "Bring out the lanterns, Z-Arc!" as she retreated into the ceiling door, "We'll have to wait until the storm passes."

Z-Arc, the second male, agreed before disappearing beyond his window with an, "Aye." The first male, with acid-green markings, stared perturbed into the sky for a few moments, but hesitated to reenter his home. A look of worry daubed his face.

Through with the sky, he turned his head to leave and brushed a glance at me, then did a double take. "...E-Mir?" he gawked. "Y-you have returned?"

I slowly got to my feet, dusting myself of the grass blades. Smiling cordially, I nodded. "Yes. I am here."

Interestingly, he beamed. "Well?" he wondered. "Why are you dawdling out there? The storm is afoot!"

My voice was small. "I have no place to stay at the time."

He considered this, then made a decision. "Then come in, come in!" He gestured to the door below him, whose hologram swirled with the letters _X-TSR. _The hologram flared and vanished, unlocking the mechanisms within the door. "The storm is looming, E-Mir. It looks to be savage. Please, stay with my family till it passes," he invited, mandibles curving to a smile. "I insist."

Thanking him with a grateful genuflect, I proceeded for the door. But as I stepped inside, I couldn't help myself from sneaking a peek at Sentinel's Summit, to test whether I was imagining that something.

Nothing was there but the maw of Sentinel's Cave.

I shivered and hurriedly strolled into the building. It was frightfully dark upon entry, then it became nothing but shadows when the door retreated into its locks. I remained planted to the cool, metal floor, eyes wide for any sign of the advancement of my gracious host.

Finally, a ball of light materialized from the bend of the corridor, and he appeared, cast in a golden sheen from the sphere of glow resting in his palm. He swiveled to the accompanying hall, extending his elbow. "It is quite dark in here. I could be your guide, if you would come this way, please, E-Mir."

I came forward and gingerly interlocked my elbow with his, walking alongside him down the vaguely lit passage. He seemed dependable. For his exceeded age, he was a tall Luminoth - I barely reached his shoulder - and over the entirety of his tanned carapace were the acid-green markings. His face was marked with cycles, and both his wings and antennae were frayed at their edges.

"I knew at first sight who you were," he said above our footsteps. His voice resonated warmly through the flickering darkness. "You are truly a fabulous Luminoth to behold, E-Mir." In his eyes was a glitter of admiration; one that befuddled me. Who was this Luminoth?

I asked it straight. "Pardon my question, sir, but how do you know me? I have a magnificent memory for faces, but yours is one that I cannot recall." I looked into the creases of his features, sifting through faces I had seen in my lifetime. I came up short, and had virtually no idea who this Luminoth was or how he knew who _I _was.

He gave a chuckle; the noise was unburdened and free. "Now please, do not assume that we have met before. I have heard only stories about you."

"Stories? What stories?"

He shrugged. "Understand, E-Mir, that I was a resident of Torvus before coming to Tempest. I was a humble fisher." The green of his eyes turned turbid with thought. "I had heard the tales of a determined, valiant young Luminoth girl, who had withstood hardship and the scalding Cataclysm fearlessly." I listened to him in wonder. He glanced to me, his smile proud. "Unfortunately, she left Aether before I got a chance to meet this worthy girl.

"But The Light of Aether shone on me tonight! It graced me with your presence." He winked. "My wait was not in vain, now was it?"

I shook my head, grinning. "Not at all...?"

He threw his head back and puffed out a breath, brow furrowing. "Now where are my manners? You may call me X-Tsr." X-Tsr lowered his head respectfully. "It has been an honor to escort you, E-Mir."

I laughed. "Similarly, good X-Tsr. Thank you for the guidance and the invitation to stay." My antennae sagged onto my head. "I do hope I am not a charge to your family."

He waved away the comment, rolling his eyes. "Nonsense. Anyone with the blood of K-Mir and E-Lre is a welcome guest in my house!"

I gave a start, stopping mid-stride. Unprepared for my reaction, X-Tsr hooked himself on our connected arms. Staring at me, he wondered, "Are you all right?"

Gaze boring into him, I leaned forward and into his face. "You knew my parents?"

"Yes. They were a wonderful pair," he nervously said, studying me with concern. "Is there a problem?"

Hope dawned like sunrise within my soul. _If he knew them, then maybe he could tell me what became of them! _"X-Tsr, did you happen to see or hear from my parents those cycles during the concluding events of The Cataclysm?" I prodded, desperate.

My soul sank when he shook his head. "Only beforehand, so, no. I did not. When U-Mos gathered the Luminoth from Agon and Torvus, I was one of the first to be put into stasis." X-Tsr's antennae tilted in question. "Did something happen, E-Mir?"

Tears were threatening to gush from my eyes, and my throat ached. I mustered the little amount of volume I had to my voice, saying, "No. I was only curious."

He knew I was upset, but he dared not provoke the matter further. I was glad for his attentiveness, otherwise I would have been sobbing. "Very well." Patting my hand, he led us down the hall once more in silence, up a short slope, and to a broad archway. Beyond the archway were small buds of light, which bobbed about the room. I strained to hear that they were accompanied by the laughter of children.

X-Tsr continued. "Perhaps meeting my family would cheer you? They are a lively bunch, which keeps these old legs spirited!" With a fond chuckle, he steered me beyond the archway and into the main room of his dwellingplace.

It was a charming room, doubling as both a congregating place and where they shared meals together. I only barely saw the silhouettes of the various furniture items due to the small, spherical lamps that his children (two, in total) were carrying as they fluttered about buoyantly. Their mother was nowhere to be found, so the boys were cavorting without boundaries all across the divan, cushions, and the tables, pretending that they were Warrior Luminoth.

"Ease your excitement, you buzzing War Wasps!" X-Tsr hollered upon arrival. The boys, looking at their father, immediately ceased their play. They both laid on the floor, steadying their breathing and attempting to stifle their giggling. I noticed then that they were completely identical, both with matching faces and light green markings. The only feature that distinguished them was that one had long, fluffier antennae than the other.

The boy with the shorter antennae spoke. "We were reenacting the battle of the Agon Temple, father. Do you remember that battle? It was fantastic in the lore. And the hero was as old as we are!"

"It's my favorite story!" the other piped.

X-Tsr released his arm from mine and knelt before his sons. "Well now that you have had your fun, I would like to introduce our guest, E-Mir." He made a gesture to me. "Behave, and make her feel welcome, all right, X-Kel? C-Tsr?" They vigorously nodded after sighting me, the one with shorter antennae's mandibles dropping.

"She's pretty..." he mumbled in his brother's lobe, attempting to be surreptitious. He failed, though.

His twin swatted him across the face, hissing, "Remember your cycles, X-Kel!"

"Hey!" X-Kel scrambled to his feet after C-Tsr rose, sensing a wild reaction, and they began chasing each other around the room. Their speed was zany as they rocketed over and under the furniture, and though their wings were underdeveloped for flight, they both attempted to use them, only to flap into walls and each other.

X-Tsr held his head, sighing while he smiled exhaustedly. "What a pair..." He rose from his position and made for a large, circular lamp implanted into the wall, where he ignited it. Flooded with light, the room was now cozy and pleasing to the eye. I felt like I belonged here.

While avoiding his children's path of havoc, he seated himself in a cushion abutting a wall, watching me intently. "We had our last meal before the lightning struck. Are you hungry at all? If you would like, I could prepare something...?"

I shook my head, lightly refusing. "Oh, no thank you, X-Tsr. I'm fine. It will take me a few days to adapt to Luminoth food again, so I'll wait for later. Thank you for the offer, though."

He was baffled at my refusal. "Adapt? What do you mean by that?"

Leaping from the wild frantics of X-Kel and C-Tsr, I sat across from X-Tsr. His expression was agog as I explained. "During my time with the Galactic Federation, I had to accustom my body to the largely differing cuisine of humans. Granted, the first few months were grueling, but I got used to their ideas of nourishment." I sighed, thinking of the Aetherian dishes that I once loved, knowing I would have to get acquainted with them again. "It will take me some time to readapt to the new ingredients."

X-Tsr nodded knowledgeably. "I see. Tell me, what sort of foods did you partake of when with the humans?"

I shrugged. "A multitude. It is impossible to state them all. I did, however, quite enjoy fish. The salmon, they call it, was my overall favorite." I still couldn't quite get rid of the fine taste of the spices that they dabbed the salmon with, but that was fine. They were delicious in any form.

Questions were visible within X-Tsr's face. He was about to ask one of them when another figure strolled into the room of the house, catching our preoccupations. This time, it was a female Luminoth, who I assumed was his wife. She was decorated with pale green markings, which matched those of her twin sons. X-Kel and C-Tsr abandoned their play and rushed up to her, hugging her legs.

She greeted them with a sunny smile, kissing their heads. "Oh, boys, I am ever thankful I made it home safely. The weather is positively horrendous tonight!"

X-Kel looked up into her eyes with zeal. "Were you blown away? How did you make it?"

She laughed. "I was lucky, I suppose." She perked up with glee. "Guess who I brought with me?"

"Is it a Grenchler?" C-Tsr blurted, peering into the shadows behind his mother.

"Not quite," came a voice, a chuckle lingering behind it. We all looked towards the archway, and from out of the blackness walked our beloved Sentinel, U-Mos.

I gaped, for he was not how I remembered him. Although he still held his loving, selfless face, there was a distinct alteration to the way his body seemed to _glow_. Either my eyes were gloomy from the dismal weather, or U-Mos lacked a considerable amount of his radiance, which had been replaced by something unknown. Beneath the rubies that were his eyes, lurked tired, withered rings. He was thinner than I remembered and he slouched slightly behind a beautiful wooden staff that was as tall as he was, and embellished with Luminoth text. Atop the staff was a polished, milky chunk of Light Crystal, which emitted shapes of light all around the room.

He knelt with some difficulty as the twins sprinted up to him, crying, "Sentinel!" gleefully. U-Mos embraced them briefly, smiling at them to hide the grimace that damaged his happy expression. When their mother called them back, he slapped both his hands on the staff's rod, pulling himself to his feet. I noticed that he favored his left leg, which was bruised only partially on the thigh.

What had happened to him? I was worried.

X-Tsr's wife eyed the Sentinel fretfully. "Are you all right?"

He nodded and grunted, "Yes," although his knuckles were white around the staff rod.

X-Tsr spoke, diverting from the matter."C-Kel? Have you met our guest?" He brandished his arms in my direction, though I only saw them out of my peripheral. I was too busy staring at the bruise along U-Mos's thigh.

C-Kel didn't get the chance to answer, for the Sentinel did first. U-Mos's antennae shot skyward, and he squinted at me. "E-Mir? Is that you? My, it has been too long!"

I couldn't respond immediately, for some reason. His voice had amazed me. It was unlike any sound I had ever heard, and I never ceased to get chills whenever he spoke. Even now, after the time had passed, I shivered, though the room was warm. U-Mos's voice was unnaturally sonorous for a two-hundred and fifteen cycled (twenty-two in human years) Luminoth, and adorned with exceeding wisdom that was far beyond his age. His voice was also troubled by the intensity of his Sentinel duties, and burdened now, by the mysterious pain that plagued him. Further, it was deepened with struggle, and slowed by a stream of fatigue.

He waited patiently for me to reply, but all I could do was nod and try for a smile. Shockingly, he accepted the pitiful attempt and approached me, endeavoring to hide his limp by leaning against his staff.

I stood before him as he wrapped his arms around me, murmuring into my ear, "Welcome home, E-Mir." U-Mos patted my back and pulled away, his mandibles curved in a youthful smile. "We have missed your company sorely." When I said nothing, he chortled and encouraged, "What, can you not speak? I have already seen your face, and now I must hear your voice. Is it as sweet as it was back then?"

"I-I-" Stuttering, I plunged into sheer panic, though I was unsure of why. I said the first thing that was on my mind. "What happened to you while I was gone? You have changed, U-Mos."

His smile faded a touch. "My leg? Oh, E-Mir, it is nothing you should stress over." He hovered his free hand above the large bruise overwhelming his thigh. "Not too long ago, I was involved in an... er..." U-Mos stumbled for words. "..._accident._ A broken femur was the outcome."

I was astonished. "You broke your femur? How?"

U-Mos's next words were indescribable. "I would... rather not say."

A mild glare slanted my brows. "What do you mean? You got hurt, yet you would abstain from telling me? A broken femur is a serious injury, Sentinel!"

Oddly, he shrugged, trying to peacefully back away from the topic. "It is healing admirably."

"But-"

He interrupted by holding up a finger. "Now E-Mir, be reasonable. No amount of arguing or protest on your part is going to take care of this problem of mine," he instructed gently. He set his hand on his chest, over his heart. "It is best to simply let it be and let it recover on its own."

I looked into his eyes with placid doubt. "Are you sure?"

"As the sun," U-Mos confirmed. His reassurance was a shade comforting, but I heard the ghost of a double-meaning behind his words. _Let _what_ be? _I asked myself internally.

I gave in and bowed my head, defeated. "Very well, Sentinel." There was no sense in debating with him.

He smiled something of relief, but his face remained tired. "Thank you." U-Mos then placed his index finger beneath my chin and lifted my face to his, staring into me like a father would. "You seem weary, E-Mir. Your travel here must have been long. Why don't you go to bed?" He glanced about. "The storm has tired us all."

As if on cue, X-Kel and C-Tsr both yawned, their mandibles fanning outward broadly. C-Kel smiled and scooped up X-Kel, turning towards an offshoot in the wall where their bedrooms were. X-Tsr followed suit, taking C-Tsr by the hand and leading the drowsy boy behind his mother.

U-Mos chuckled. "You see?"

I couldn't restrain myself from yawning as well. "Yes." Now that we were alone, I asked him once more, "Are you positive that you are all right? You don't look like yourself, U-Mos."

His eyes darkened, which frightened me. "I... am not myself," he responded, with a growl in the undertone. "I have not been myself for a while, now..." U-Mos's own words seemed to sting him, and he tangled his fingers in his caramel-colored chest fur.

"What's wrong? Perhaps I can help you," I goaded anxiously.

U-Mos quickly turned away from me, gazing out of the window with a critical eye. "No. I cannot be helped. Not anymore-"

"But it's never too late!" I intervened, suddenly overcome by a protective instinct. "Second chances are possible, and can be granted, Sentinel." I reached for his shoulder. "Please-"

_"No!" _he growled stubbornly. His voice did not belong to him. The staff's rod caught my hand before it could reach his shoulder, without him even looking in its direction. "This matter of mine does not concern you, E-Mir, and I would rather it not in any stance!" He turned, and I was burned by the harsh, merciless fire that had tainted his eyes.

I lowered my hand and tightened my fists, genuinely hurt that he would speak to me so fiercely. U-Mos noticed this, and in an instant, the tautness of his expression slacked, and he began apologizing fervently. "E-Mir, I did not mean to snap at you. D-do forgive me. I just... have to conquer my... _issues..._ on my own. You understand, don't you?"

Sighing, I nodded. "Yes. I understand. We all have our demons."

U-Mos snorted wickedly. "If only you knew the whole truth, then you would realize how accurate you are about me."

"What?"

He never got the chance to respond, for in that moment, U-Mos suddenly reacted as if someone had electrocuted him; his wings shot out, his antennae shivered, and his body jolted. I gasped as he staggered a few steps back, holding his head with bulging, horrified eyes.

I was stunned. "S-sentinel? Are you-"

"Good _Aether!"_ rang the voice of X-Tsr as he sauntered into the room. "The weather has worsened! It is a whirlwind out there." Undaunted by the paling of U-Mos, X-Tsr came to our sides, smiling. "You will be staying the night, won't you? It would be a pleasure to the entire family."

U-Mos declined with a vibrating voice. "I cannot, X-Tsr."

He was taken aback. "But why? Do you expect to go back to your home? It is by the Great Temple, all the way up the hills! You'll never make it, Sentinel. The wind is peeling the bark off of trees!"

Already leaving, U-Mos made for the archway, a hand tight on his staff, the other clamped to his head as if he had a fever. "I'm sorry, but I cannot stay. Thank your wife for bringing me. I hope you have a safe night, X-Tsr." He vanished without another word.

X-Tsr and I stared after him, aghast. Once the door closed itself below, he muttered grimly, "My, he certainly has... changed since you have left. He used to be the most amiable Luminoth on Aether."

"In what ways?" I asked.

He ran his fingers through his antennae. "Well, he was always smiling back then. Now, his smiles are forced, as if someone is preventing him from doing so." He paused, brows furrowing. "The Sentinel also has... this peculiar _aura."_

"An aura?" I repeated. "Like a Light aura?" I knew that my personal aura was rather bright.

X-Tsr agreed, sighing. "Indeed. All Luminoth emanate an aura of their inner Light. Over the past months, however, U-Mos's once divine aura has faltered and dimmed to barely shining. He is always struggling with something, whether it be pain or other matters. I worry for him."

That news was disconcerting. "Does he tell anyone of his troubles?"

X-Tsr shook his head, a look of sorrow overshadowing him. "No, but one can see it in his face. He keeps to himself most days."

Silence followed, only wavered by the rumbling of thunder from outside. The lamps flickered. The whistle of wind danced along the windows chillingly. "I want to help him," I announced.

X-Tsr started. "You what? He rarely allows anyone to-"

"I don't care! He watched over us when the Luminoth were in peril, and now I can return the favor. He needs me, X-Tsr. I can sense it," I confirmed gallantly. Something inside me stirred. Something bold and true. "I'm not sure why yet, but I will discover it."

He scratched his head. "How will you get through to him? No one has, yet."

I turned towards the window, where the distant peaks of Sentinel's Summit were beyond. The figure of U-Mos shrank as he trekked towards their heights, battling the gales. Why was he headed for the Summit?

"I am going to go after him."

X-Tsr's antennae twirled. His eyes widened. "You cannot be serious!"

"Ooh, I'm definitely serious. I did not register in the Galactic Federation for nothing!" I grinned, already making for the archway. "If I can spar with two ton robots, then I can for sure conquer the erratic weather and liberate U-Mos of his fiends!"

"Wait!" X-Tsr caught my shoulder as I was near the archway. Swiveling me around, he took me by the shoulders. "You are so fragile; you will be blown halfway to the Sanctuary as soon as you step out of that door!"

A flare of anger made me push his arms away. _"Fragile? Who told you that I was fragile?"_

He appeared to shrink at my snarl. "Er... Well, I suppose that was my conscience. But your wings are small and thin. Can they really keep you aloft?"

I jabbed him on the collarbone, furious. "Just because I am a female, that does not mean I am the most dainty creature!" Demonstrating this, I slapped him across the cheek roughly enough to leave behind a pink mark. He gawked at me. "All of those arrogant human men misjudged me upon first sight, but only after they were all sprawled helpless across the floor did they respect me!"

X-Tsr fingered his stinging cheek. "Perhaps you can _slap_ some sense into the Sentinel. You certainly have the palm for it. Ouch."

I smirked triumphantly. "Indeed. Never forget it! Now, I'm going, so don't try to stop me!"

"I had no such plans."

I faced the exit beyond, gathering my courage. "I will be back. " I nervously added, "Maybe."

"Keep your strength. Be mindful, be careful. I have faith in you," he responded humbly. "But first, before you leave, take this." He then forced into my arms a circular, ruby wall decoration. It was relatively heavy, but manageable. I raised a brow in confusion. "You will need an extra bit of weight to keep you on the ground rather than tumbling through the air."

The house shook in the blast of a remorseless gust of wind. Hugging the decoration to my chest, I credited, "Thank you. This will help. Goodbye."

X-Tsr waved as I left. "Goodbye, E-Mir. May the Light of Aether shine upon you!" His voice faded over my shoulder, and upon my arrival of the entryway, opened the door, and stepping into the chaos outside, his voice utterly vanished.

I was immediately seized by an overpowering warmth from the wind. It was suffocating. Pinching my eyes from the ragged gales, I proceeded down the waving, grassy alcove, decoration clutched close. I had to hold my breath from the door, due to the wind snatching any breath I tried to take in.

The wind threw my antennae and wings wildly about my body, swishing insanely around my face and back. I had to toss my head and clamp my antennae to my carapace, keeping my torso as straight as possible as the wind beat against me from seemingly every side. I marveled mutely at how U-Mos had endured the brutal gales with only a walking stick. Thankfully, X-Tsr's decoration kept me on the ground as I shuffled along, head bowed except for when I glanced upward to check my progress.

I headed from grass below my feet to dirt and for the mountains, keeping Sentinel's Summit my main motive. Would U-Mos be there when I arrived? What was he doing up there in the first place? Sentinel's Summit was nowhere near the Great Temple's tree, where the Sentinel's house had been standing for generations of Luminoth. What could he possibly be doing up at that forlorn cave?

Gritting my mandibles' teeth at the pulses of heat that swept my body, I plodded onward. The weather was truly an engaging trial. A _taxing, _engaging trial. _He better be grateful I did this for him._

As I finally reached the base of the mountain garnished with my destination, I remembered how I had seen that large, black silhouette atop it. With a tinge of horror, I wondered if U-Mos had any knowledge of that apparition, if it had been real or not. Was I seeing things before? Would that apparition be waiting for me? Did U-Mos have a method to this madness? The questions reeled about within my mind as I stared at the intimidating, gigantic shoot of pure rock that cut the simmering grey skies before me.

_There is absolutely _no_ Aetherian way I will be able to climb that!_ I shrieked in my head. Unfortunately, there was no other alternative than flying, which, in the ridiculous winds, seemed nigh impossible. I had a strong pair of wings, yes, but the sheer height I had to fly to reach Sentinel's Cave was menacing.

My thoughts then wandered to the image of U-Mos. I had to help him, I knew, even through this lunacy. I felt that it was my obligation. He was my Sentinel, and he had been one of the most charitable to me when I was alone those cycles past. I had to repay his kindness. Even if that meant spreading my wings and taking to the rampant winds.

Exhaling, I dried my sweaty hands on my knees, gripping the decoration like it was a lifeline. It would become that very lifeline when I was in the air, providing me support to remain stable in the turbulence. Swallowing, I positioned myself ready, then extended my wings to my sides.

I was wrenched violently from the ground by the wind, which dragged me skyward and in every direction possible. The world was whirling all around me, as were my antennae and limbs as the wind tossed me between its fingers like a rag doll. A shrill scream escaped my throat while I tried to regain my equilibrium in the skies, but the clouting gusts blotted my hearing.

Eventually, after a dizzying amount of time, I separated my legs and stabilized my flailing, holding the decoration between my legs and towards Aether. Its weight quickly poised my body soundly. I found myself fluttering with the wind flow serenely, with the clouds ambling around me sluggishly.

Panting, I looked below me, where the ground was a perilously-wide distance away. Looking in the opposite direction, I found that the towering peaks of Sentinel's Summit were peering down at me, and at a handsome feat as well. I wiggled my toes and puffed my wings determinedly; the warm air filled them and I rose swiftly towards the peaks, riding the currents.

Before long, I closed the space between the ground and the heights of the mountains. I flapped towards my desired landing spot, landing rather brusquely due to my fatigue from battling the winds. I collapsed into a heap on the rock, letting myself sweat and relax before scouring the pillars of stone for U-Mos. I gathered my strength as I picked up the decoration, standing.

The cliffs were mysterious and forebodingly empty of any life. There were no forms of vegetation that could have swayed in the abrupt winds at this altitude, which bestowed a sense of loneliness. War Wasp hives dotted the higher areas, but where still of activity. Not even a Kralee prowled in search of food as I searched throughout the crevasses of Sentinel's Summit, seemingly by myself. I felt heavily exposed.

I turned a corner but immediately dove back behind it. I had to suppress a petrified scream as soon as I saw _it._

The short glimpse I had gotten of the creature was enough to describe it in its entirety. It was relatively ten foot, with a large, headless torso. In the center of the torso was a face, namely, a huge sphere of blood red light; an eye with stately webbing covering its glow. Crowning the brow of the eye was a trio of grueling spikes, and behind those, long tentacles that slapped in the wind. Supporting this creature were five, powerful legs - three in front and two behind. The legs' ends were ground to heinous edges; claws that could have shredded steel. The hide of this monster was of the deepest black, solid with bulky muscle beneath.

I felt sick when I saw the other, eight foot tall figure standing away from the beast, who was looking over the Tempest Valley, standing stiffly behind his staff.

_What is he doing here? _I panicked internally.

U-Mos tilted his head towards the thing when one of its claws grazed a rock. He gazed at the creature for a few moments before turning back to the Valley.

"There is a storm brewing..." he mumbled pensively.

It blasted out a snort. I almost had a heart attack when the creature spoke. "After all this time... and _that's_ how you greet me?"

The voice that issued from the black monster was incredibly competent, and backed with knowledge and cunning. The voice was obviously masculine. There was the touch of a hiss beneath each syllable, along with a disturbing sense of friendliness in the manner that he spoke with U-Mos. I had a haunting inkling that he and U-Mos knew each other from somewhere.

U-Mos's forearm muscle tensed under his carapace. "How would you prefer, Emperor? Our mutual past has not exactly been pleasant."

_Mutual past? _

The Emperor responded with a chuckle, "True, old friend. But what's life without a few scuffles, eh? You learn from them, don't you? I know I have. Exponentially, in fact."

"Is that right?" U-Mos retaliated cruelly. "Seeing as you are alive and well, it seems you are definitely taking charge of your previous grievances and steering them in the proper direction." He dug his staff's dull end into the dirt, glaring into the clouds. The Emperor watched closely. "Although how you survived is _impossible. _The Chozo Samus utterly destroyed you _and_ your mob of beasts."

I was taken by surprise at the intensity of U-Mos's tone. This behavior was unlike him. It was as though he were an entirely different person.

The Emperor donned an expression of betrayal, then pushed the conversation to seething point. I could tell that U-Mos's restraint was dangling by a thread as he continued, "You weren't seriously hoping that that broad would take out the Ing Horde, would you, U-Mos?"

My blood froze. I had only heard stories of the Ing. I had never seen one in person, and had never gotten to because, seemingly, they had been eradicated. But here was their leader, the Emperor Ing, openly conversing with my Sentinel, and he was very much alive.

He went on, "_Or_ the Emperor Ing? I'm not sure I can trust you anymore! I mean, are you even my friend?"

U-Mos retook my attention when he aggressively smashed his staff into a rock, which split into shards. The Emperor and I jumped. "You have _no place_ calling me your friend!" U-Mos growled, whirling on the Ing with flaming eyes. His staff's Light Crystal gleamed brightly in his fury. He was quite a menacing sight. "What gives you the authority to even summon me here?"

The Emperor cast a keen eye onto him. "I am an Emperor, aren't I? I can do whatever I please."

U-Mos's reply was biting. "Well, your pleasure is unwelcome. I do not have the time nor the conscience to keep you Ing in line. I have Luminoth in that Valley who believe that the world is perfect. After all, should it not be?" He raised a brow, glowering into the Emperor. "We are healing. I cannot afford another war! I do not want to fight you anymore!"

_He kept this knowledge of the Ing's survival a secret. Why would he do such a thing?_

The Emperor Ing sighed. "You're such a pacifist, U-Mos."

"I would prefer to keep it that way," he said back. Thinking, he then tested, "Why did you summon me up here? What is your purpose?"

The Emperor Ing paced around the surface of the cliff that we stood upon, his legs' movements eerie as they drove him around. I followed his meandering and grew tense when he laughed. "Can't I visit with my old friend? Is that such a crime?"

U-Mos's eyes tightened. "Tell me the truth."

The Ing stopped mid-stride, his blood red focus heavy on U-Mos. "All right, since you are so eager to get to the point..." Without warning, his frontmost leg shot forward in a blur, burrowing into the rock not an inch away from U-Mos's toes. The Luminoth's antennae twitched alertly. "There's something I need... Something that I can't run my Horde without..."

"And what is that?" U-Mos questioned.

A low hissing rang from the Emperor's throat. He leaned into U-Mos's face, his eye washing the Sentinel's features in a grisly light. _"You."_

Disbelief stole U-Mos's collected persona like a heartbeat. Before he could inquire further of the harrowing matter, he had ducked beneath the swing of the Emperor's razored claw. He darted to the side and backed away from the towering creature, growing pale in the darkness. He was extremely afraid.

"What's the matter, old friend?" the Emperor chided. "Are you honestly surprised? You knew this was coming sooner or later..."

U-Mos beat his wings and shot into the air, fleeing towards a higher ground. He landed upon the enormous plateau that topped Sentinel's Cave, where the boiling storm clouds were dangerously overhead.

The Emperor Ing laughed malignantly, springing mightily onto the plateau in pursuit of U-Mos. When they both disappeared from my view, I hurriedly scrambled to my feet, fluttering my own wings and taking flight to the shallow slopes of the plateau.

I settled myself into a cranny in the chilled rock, hiding from their eyes by crouching. They were so submerged in their confrontation that I went unnoticed.

Facing each other from opposite ends of the plateau, U-Mos nervously eyed the Emperor Ing, running his hands along his staff's rod. The Emperor bore a smirk in his eye.

With a nefarious roar, the Emperor charged. U-Mos readied himself as his adversary thundered forward on all five legs, his antennae rushing behind him. In a bleared mess of black claws, they met, and U-Mos was suddenly near the clouds, helpless to evade the whip of the Emperor's crown-spikes he head-butted his chest.

U-Mos was catapulted away from him, doing a quick flip before he could tumble across the plateau's rocky surface. He skidded on his feet and dug his staff into the plateau to slow his momentum, chest heaving from the impact.

When the Emperor Ing charged at him again, U-Mos flexed his hand around his staff, raised it like a javelin, and threw it forcefully at the oncoming Ing, where it sunk grossly into his forward, leftmost knee. The Emperor Ing gave a shout of pain, his legs betraying him. He lost his footing clumsily, then fell to the plateau, where his charging-speed gouged him into the rocks. When the dust cleared, he had slowed, and was laying in the midst of a lengthy ditch he had made entirely with his body.

The Emperor Ing groaned, prying himself out of the ditch and blinking dust out of his eye. He probed the plateau for U-Mos, who was standing rigidly a short distance away from him, fists at his sides and his wings fluttering in the bluster.

U-Mos's walking stick was sickeningly protruding from the cap of the Emperor's knee. The Emperor growled, "You know, I always hated Luminoth technology." He curled a leg around the staff and heaved it free, tossing it to the Sentinel's feet with loathing. Rich, purple blood seeped from his wound. "With a _passion."_

U-Mos stooped and picked it up, brushing away the blood that slicked the lower edge. A dim expression made his features as lead as the clouds above him. "Make your move, Erebus."

The flash of his eyes was nasty at the mention of that name. "Gladly!" He stormed U-Mos, who ran. They chased each other for a short time, since the Emperor's legs were longer.

U-Mos was no match for the Emperor's larger stature and weight when he ferociously pounced on him. The Sentinel struggled to free himself from beneath the Ing, hollering and squirming, but to no avail. Whereas the Emperor had five limbs, U-Mos only had four, which were each pinned beneath his adversary's. One of the Emperor's legs was free, which he raised to the carapace just beneath the fur of U-Mos's chest.

My breath caught in my throat when the Emperor began to vilely dig his claw into U-Mos's carapace, breaking through it entirely. U-Mos screamed and writhed, which enticed his attacker into hacking further down his abdomen, freely spilling his blood. My stomach churned at his wails, and as much as I wanted to race to his aid, some invisible force held me back.

During the commotion, U-Mos had managed to wriggle his elbow free of the Emperor's securing limb. The Emperor gave no heed to this until it was too late. U-Mos, with his staff gripped tightly, flared its Light Crystal head brightly, and swung it across the Emperor Ing's eye.

He shrieked and released U-Mos, standing and tripping over his claws. With one leg covering his momentarily-blinded eye, the Emperor staggered, oblivious to U-Mos, holding his jagged, gaping injury. The Sentinel coped with it, miraculously, and got to his feet, blood running like a stream down his abdomen and onto his legs.

U-Mos was visibly lightheaded, and strove with difficulty to remain standing. I itched to come to him, but I knew that the danger he was in would quickly befall me if I did, so I remained in place. After all, he wanted to deal with his issues on his own, didn't he?

The Light Crystal-induced pain of the Emperor's eye had abated, and he blinked vigorously back into the scene. He squinted to U-Mos, with his staff aimed at him readily. Already, the Emperor's dark cunning was resurfacing, and the white streak across his face was fading. Both U-Mos and I became uneasy.

The Emperor laughed aloud. "Now, down to business."

"Business, Erebus?" U-Mos echoed raggedly.

He ignored him for a moment, instead peering into him deeply. "You hear me in there?" U-Mos froze, his eyes wide. "I know you can."

_Who is he speaking to?_

"Aren't you tired of being locked up like an insect, S-Omu? You're nothing of the sort. I _know_ this. You do too." The Emperor's remarks made U-Mos shiver, twisting his head uncomfortably. Pain daubed his face. "Did you know that you could very well break from your captivity?" U-Mos's antennae perked. "My, it seems to me that you are doing nothing but rotting away inside, constantly under control by a being that is lesser than you."

U-Mos's face was strained with fear and horror. _"Don't provoke him, Erebus von Mawl!"_ he wailed desperately.

The Emperor smirked evilly, taking a few steps towards the suffering Luminoth. His concluding words were low and tempting, "Where is _your _freedom, S-Omu?"

U-Mos suddenly doubled over, retching as if he would vomit. His staff clattered to the plateau and he held his chest, roaming weakly about. He convulsed in a terrifying way, and from his mandibles ripped a demonic, corrupt voice, _"Let me out! Let me out!"_

He refused, shouting to himself, "NO! I w-won't!"

I watched, disturbed and paralyzed. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't blink, and I couldn't move. What on Aether was I witnessing?

The Emperor Ing slowly approached U-Mos, battling himself and clearly losing to his unseen enemy. He was paling rapidly, on the verge of passing out due to blood loss. The Emperor, rearing a leg, stood beside the Luminoth, muscles taut and bulging beneath his blackened hide.

U-Mos raised his head in the instant that the Emperor swung his elbow in a wicked arc directly into his left-side ribcage. The beast's elbow sunk into the Sentinel, the shattering of each of his bones painful to the ears, and seeming to echo into the plateau. U-Mos's eyes became wide as he was launched twenty feet away, rolling roughly across the plateau, slinging blood into the air. He came to a nauseating stop, in no time at all bathed in his own blood.

The Ing approached the limp Luminoth. He sucked in a breath, which was quickly caught and replaced by a choked scream resonating from his throat. His pain was so excruciating that he could not move; he only laid with pieces of his ribs scattered out of his body and bleeding severely before the Emperor. His chest heaved as the Ing stood above him, emotionless.

The guilt in the Emperor's voice was poorly masked when he asked, "Any last words, U-Mos?"

He gradually steadied his breathing so he could speak. When he did so, his voice was gravelly, drenched with agony, and choppy as he winced from the damage.

"So... this is the end..."

The Emperor hovered a claw above U-Mos's heart, though he paid no heed to it. He merely stared blankly into the sky.

"Oh no, my friend..."

Shock flooded U-Mos's eyes.

"...It is only the beginning."

With a finishing thrust, the Emperor Ing impaled my Sentinel in one fluid movement. I watched the light - the _life _- fade from U-Mos' eyes.

It began to pour.

**I have been imagining that final battle for so long... It's finally in words!**

**What'd you think? Was it good? **

**Ah, it's only the first chapter! There's plenty more insanity where that came from! **

**But we'll save that for later.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**See ya next chapter!**


	2. The Bearer of Grim Tidings

**CHAPTER TWO IS UP! Man, it took a while! Sorry about that! **

** All right, we have some authoritative changes I must discuss. Silver the Wolfwrath has now become E-Mir the Luminoth17, so just a heads up to anyone still following this. **

** The second installment of **_**Hollowed Moonshine**_** gives a little insight to those who were confused at the Emperor's actions in the previous chapter. It'll hopefully educate you, but still keep you guessing. :) Have fun! I loved writing this, and the dialogue is superb, in my opinion. Woohoo!**

** I hope anyone who reads this is entertained, provoked, and most of all, enjoys it. I really appreciate the time you take as a readers to view my work. It means a lot to me! **

** Thanks! Read and enjoy. As always, forgive me of my errors. **

** Part Two: The Bearer of Grim Tidings**

The droplets of rain felt like the frozen pins of death upon me. The heavens darkened in the heavy downpour, their spills singing against Aether in a lament of U-Mos' life. My heart miserably sung along as I continued to stare onward at the terminating claw of the Emperor, traumatized and virtually stricken hollow.

U-Mos was dead.

I couldn't believe it. His kind, understanding face lingered within my mind. The tender tone of his voice echoed in my ears, as did his laughter. The pleasant warmth of his fur when he embraced me burned my chest remorsefully.

The Emperor Ing released his claw from my Sentinel's chest, and as he did, the reality of his death bursted painfully, my skull throbbing from the smashing of his bones. U-Mos' final words of, "...This is the end..." battered my knowledge that I would never speak to him again. No matter what I tried to convince my hopes of, the blaring fact resurfaced repeatedly: my Sentinel was gone. Gone by the efforts of that accursed Emperor Ing.

When the rain carried U-Mos' blood into the pools, I was overcome by a crude rage, which billowed throughout me hungrily. My own blood boiled in my veins, my antennae shivered angrily, and my fingers cracked around X-Tsr's wall decoration in my hands. The streams of rain pouring down my face blended with the hot tears that were escaping my eyes.

A single word blazed within my mind: _Avenge._ It heated me through to the bone.

Over above U-Mos' corpse, the Emperor stood pensively. His tentacles swished in a matter as if he shook his head, and he sighed, "Body parted from ghost, and reaped from bone to bone, take the corpse that matters most and march as victor home..." He seemed to be reciting something. My stomach churned. He continued with a doubt in his voice,_ "Huh._ Looks like she was right." To my shock, the Emperor stooped, and began to gently slide his frontmost legs beneath U-Mos' body.

_Take the corpse that matters most and march as victor home,_ the Emperor's voice repeated to me. I took in a sharp breath. Without even thinking about my actions, I had risen from my perch, leaping above the lip of the plateau with decoration in-fist. I sprinted towards the Emperor through the puddles, a savage yell ringing from my mandibles.

_"FIEND!" _I shrieked, extending my arm above my side. My muscles tensed before I hurled the decoration like a discus, where it sailed powerfully through the air in a blur directly at the Emperor. At the chime of my voice, he turned, unprepared for the decoration as it rocketed at him and knocked him on the skull with a nauseating _crack._

"Argh!" He stumbled and reeled, backing from U-Mos' side. I utilized this time to speed to my Sentinel's body, where I crouched above him protectively. Beneath me, he lay empty-eyed, staring into the rains lifelessly. His mandibles were loose, and his fur was soaked from the rain just as his antennae were. I had to cringe away from the jagged, open wound in his abdomen, which stretched from the edges of his chest fur down to his pelvic bone. It was a hideously deep gouge under his broken carapace.

When the Emperor recovered in the slightest and faced me, growled, "I won't let you take him, monster! He does not belong to you!"

He froze, gawking at me. "What'n the-?" My appearance baffled him to the extent that he backed a few steps more, his bottom lid twitching as he stared at my face. "The crescent-moon! You're the...!" He remained quiet for a few moments before composing himself. A stern look burnished his eye as he approached, lowering his bloody-red stare to me. "Now listen here, I'm on a tight schedule, Moony. So back off of U-Mos," he ordered rashly above the thunder.

I cackled villainously, watching the veins under his hide bulge at the sound. Courage was feeding into me from seemingly nowhere. "That's E-Mir to you, Emperor," I mocked. Continuing on, I said, "And if I _don't?" _Knotting my fingers in U-Mos' soaking fur, I tensed, preparing for an outburst from him.

His expression dimmed darker. The Emperor's rear leg reached behind him, where it scooped up the wall decoration I had lobbed at him. He juggled it to his front claw, balancing it on its edge. "Now I wonder what this'll look like jammed down your throat?" he wondered grimly. "C'mon, chick, let's find out!"

He lashed out at me, and I could sense that the swipe of his claw was far more aggressive than when he attacked U-Mos. I ducked, only to be driven to lurching backward to evade a second, and then a third swing of his numerous front legs. He bellowed fearsomely.

I was already stretched backward as far as I could go, and since I was trying to remain positioned above U-Mos, the Emperor's third claw met its mark. The honed edge of his claw scraped across my cheek, digging into my flesh and catching on the bridge between my eyes. Small pieces of my skin were propelled off of my face and into the puddles.

The Emperor seemed crazed and at wits' end in his stripes. The brilliant tailwind clinging to his shin as it swept by my head was strong enough to fling my sopping antennae. Before I could cry out, his rock-hard knee impacted my cheekbone, tossing me on my side onto the flooded plateau, and away from U-Mos.

He was immediately upon me, pinning me to the chilling ground and fastening his claws to my mandibles, where he pulled them away to expose my mouth beneath them. Brandishing the decoration with a malicious glister in his eye, he forced it extremely close to my bleeding face. I wriggled and screamed at him to release me, but just as U-Mos had failed, I did so as well.

The Emperor began gloating. "I know that was harsh, 'cause I don't typically strike females," he cooed in a creepy, cordial voice. "I have henchmen to do that for me, you see... But seeing as you're the second girl to interfere with my strict, strict schedule, then I have no choice, now do I?"

He glanced at the decoration. "Ooh, this thing is bigger than I thought. That'll make it that much more interesting!" He lowered the decoration towards my mouth. "Open wide, Moony!"

I closed my throat and struggled, but my weight against his was impossible to liberate. He also stunk horribly of the blood, sweat and rot that I had tasted in the wind upon my Aether landing. The stench was dizzying, and it strained my lungs as I writhed with held breath. Eventually, I succumbed and sucked in a breath, but instantly choked on both his rancid smell and his thrusting of the decoration into the small space of my mouth.

When his cruel laughter shook me, I did the last thing that occurred to mind - burrow my toes into the mud.

Why was I doing this odd act? Well, during my time alone, I had discovered a curiosity within me pertaining to the Light of Aether. I had learned about it during my schooling, yes, but the knowledge we had gathered wasn't enough to satisfy my mind's cravings. I was always brimming with questions that the instructors could not always answer. _Was it just an energy? Could it think like a Luminoth?_ None of them knew. Thus, I sought to answer them myself.

By training with the Light of Aether, and researching the inner Lights of surrounding planets in the Dasha Region, I had found at a young age that each planet has veins that carry planetary energy. The energy differs from planet to planet, depending upon what inhabits the planet's surface. For example, Aether's Light was pure and bright, since none had settled it prior to the Luminoth's coming. It was untainted by the spots of warfare, pain and grief that other planets' energies had fallen prey to.

Knowing these facts endowed me with the ability to channel the internal planetary energy into myself. Which, while under the powerful restraint of the Emperor, was what I was relying on.

As soon as I burrowed my toes into the mud, the familiar pulsing, fervent energy of Aether rose from below me, diverting itself into my feet. Tickling warmth casually traced its path beyond my toes and into the rest of my body, cleansing the vindictive blood in my veins. I was soothed, even in my current predicament.

The warmth soon traveled throughout me fully, condensing eccentrically in my palms. They tingled sharply. While the Emperor endeavored to make me swallow the decoration, I propelled my arms around his legs and slapped my hands against the sides of his face. Focusing till my vision vibrated, I vented the Light in my hands, and watched his skin beneath my fingers sizzle and steam due to the immense amount of it they were saturated with.

His body jolted. The Emperor yelped and tore away from me, violently ramming the decoration into my forehead in his scramble. I held the seeping gash on my cheek and sat up, observing his act of plunging his burning face into the deepest pool he could find. Bubbles erupted the pool's surface after a great splash, and steam twisted between his spiny crown and his tentacles lining his back.

He remained there, recuperating for several moments. In his distraction, I stumbled back over to U-Mos' body, kneeling beside him and painstakingly cupping his head in my hands. A small flicker of hope inside me wished for him to be alive and breathing, but was quickly snuffed at the glacial touch of his skin.

The reminder resurfaced, and my conscience was beaten. Brushing away the droplets of rain that were collecting in his antennae, and stroking his fur, I was suddenly smitten with guilt as I stared into the sad expression that had overtaken him during his final moments. I felt almost as if _I_ had delivered this horrid end to him.

My anger from before had utterly vanished, and I was swallowed by gloom in its place. "I could have saved you..." I whispered. "If only I had acted... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." My voice broke. _"I'm sorry, U-Mos..."_ I softly bore my face into his chest, shaking from the frozen rain and mourning, my throat sore.

An enormous gasp startled me. I raised my head towards the only other breathing creature on the plateau, weak despise leaking into my tears.

The Emperor jerked his face out of the puddle of water, sucking in the chill air. I noticed with hints of pride that the hide lining his eye was coated in a silver-ish sheen - a series of burns from my hands.

He immediately whipped on me, glaring at me toxically as I knelt beside U-Mos defensively. He screamed, "YOU CRAZY BROAD!" A large vein in his head drummed. "YOU COULDA KILLED ME!"

I gathered the volume in my voice. "It was a shame I didn't." His brow skyrocketed. "We would have been even, you and I!"

The Emperor growled impatiently, deflecting my comment. "Even shmeven! Who cares if one Luminoth is dead?"

I rose and screamed back, "How dare you say that? That Luminoth was U-Mos! He is worth a thousand of your kind!" I jabbed a finger at the Emperor, then swiped it down to my side. "You filthy Ing!"

"Well, look who's calling who filthy!" he backfired with a swift flourish of his crown. "I'm not the one playing in the mud with my _toes!_ I'm royalty, you hear me, Moony? I'm an _emperor!"_

"An emperor, you say?" I chortled humorlessly. The Ing's tentacles rattled, and his crimson eye slitted. "A true emperor would be a benevolent and trustworthy leader. He would be virtuous! He would be a seeker of good report! He would guide his people with valor and courtesy, not head a bloodthirsty horde of slaughterers!"

He was silent, standing as if he were a statue. I thought that for a moment, my remark had stricken him dumb.

But I was wrong.

The Emperor laughed. The noise was hollow, callous, and began in a sonorous boom. It gradually crescendoed to a crazed, beating wail, fluttered by sick enthusiasm and joy. He threw his face to the clouds, his body shuddering with each of his roars of laughter. It disturbed me to my core.

When he finally spoke, the remnants of his humor dappled his words. "You honestly think that this was slaughter?" he asked darkly.

I had to recover somewhat to answer him. "U-Mos' bones and blood surround us!"

The Emperor surveyed the deluged plateau, his eye tracing the rocks and puddles till it rested upon U-Mos at my feet. "But my dear, that is where your judgement falls blunt."

_Was this all a lie? _

"Know this, missy, that everything you have seen has only been the beginning of an elaborate, meticulous operation," the Emperor continued reticently. "I didn't kill U-Mos for the fun of it. The entirety of my actions in the past, tonight, and the future have all been carefully plotted in prior, and there is nothing you or _any_ other slithering _creature_ on this planet can do to change its course!" The Emperor's words were spit out of his mouth harshly, the shrouded meaning behind them igniting an avid fire in his eye.

He went on, slowly taking steps towards me. His claws reflected in the puddles, flashing in the distant, passing lightning. "The reason of U-Mos' fair Sentinel blood spilt tonight is one of miraculous glory," he murmured with a fond tone. I stiffened. "You may or may not have seen what sort of otherworldly nightmare that he crumpled beneath day after long, tormenting day, but let me assure you, that burden has been abated on his soul."

The Emperor stopped his advancement a few paces from where I stood. He gazed into the paling face of U-Mos almost apologetically. "Poor moth... Sometimes, when the moon's just right, I feel a little _sorry_ for what I did to him." He winced at a memory. "I felt like a jerk after he had that staff carved for him after our... episode. I probably shouldn't have possessed him either, but that was predestined, so, what could I do?"

I gaped at him, horrified. _"Possession? _You did _what?" _

He rolled his eye in agitation. "Moony, as much as I'd love to share story time with you, I'm still in a vise-grip on my schedule." He squinted into the clouds. "I'm already stretching my precious time as it is, talking with you." The Emperor turned back and blinked at me in a manner that seemed tender. The manner was likened unto something U-Mos would give."Let's stay on task, shall we?"

He resumed his lecture while I envisioned the grisly face of a darkling-possessed Luminoth, feeling bilious.

"Typical Luminoth are born with the Light of Aether glowing inside them. It remains with them all throughout their life. I can sense it in you, and I could also sense it in U-Mos before he, well... changed." A haunting thought made the Emperor pause for a hesitant moment. He exhaled roughly and went on, "Alluding to this, you should know that a drop of Light has two opposing characteristics. The first is radiant and bright, shining for all who clutch its purity. The second lurks behind it; a shadow, an itch, and a looming reminder of the gleam that it has been deprived of.

"The shadow is like a plague to the Light, and vise versa. The opposites constantly fight each other for dominance - have you ever watched open flames? The shadows and sparks that they produce? It is a never-ending cycle of barbary and thievery. Light and Darkness _cannot_ thrive together. It has never been done."

The Emperor peered into me keenly. _"No one_ can bottle up that caliber of mayhem for long. It slowly consumes them from the inside out. One side will eventually cripple, and the other will blot it out ravenously." His eye glittered with a foreboding secret. "Your U-Mos was a perfect example of the toll of internal Shadow Poisoning."

I gasped, disbelief gnawing at me coldly. "No. No, not him. He could never-" I cut myself off and looked down into U-Mos' face, fearing terribly. He seemed so perfect, so luminous. Could it really have been true? _Shadow Poisoning... I-Impossible... Not U-Mos..._

The Emperor drank in my distrust. "It has been cursing him for a staggering six months. Ever since-" He stopped himself abruptly. "Never mind. In fact, I was surprised he held on for as long as he did, really." I gazed up at him, my mandibles hanging open. "The incessant pain must've been excruciating."

My body began to shake as I swallowed my defiance and gathered my courage, asking in chopped words, _"Why-is-U-Mos-dead?"_

"Because, little lady, there was something inside him that I needed. I needed it _badly." _He stroked U-Mos' cheekbone with the blunt end of his claw mildly. "He couldn't willingly give it up, so all that was left of me to do was ease his pain and take it." He seemed lost in the fathoms of his mind when he murmured dreamily, "He'll forgive me, someday... for my sins... But until then, let's hope he's comfortable."

His meaning was bogus and foggy with confusion in my mind. I stared at him when he cleared his throat and refocused onto me. "He may not have peace for a while, once we're through with him."

_"Through?"_ I echoed, raising a brow. "His life is already through! You finished it yourself! We can do nothing but mourn for his passing; his soul has been gathered within the Light of Aether!"

He grinned deviously. "Ah, but that doesn't mean I can't... so to say... fish him out." The Emperor bent on his knees, reaching for U-Mos' body. "As I told him, this is only the beginning. Death is not final with the Ing."

Rage overwhelmed me, and I slid in front of his claws. _"U-Mos is _not_ an Ing! _You have no right to take his corpse! You are not the victor of this night, Emperor!"

He chuckled, casting me a sly glance. "Then you didn't know him as well as you thought you did."

His remark stunned me. _"What?"_

Ignoring me entirely, the Emperor lightly brushed my numb frame aside, and began to scoop up U-Mos. "And as a matter of fact, I have _every_ right in the Dasha Region to take this corpse wherever I please because one, everything that he is more or less belongs to me; and two, I'm the Emperor Ing," he said gallantly.

"But-"

He stood, three of his legs supporting him, while his front, right and middlemost legs cradled the limp form of U-Mos. For some reason, the thought of refusing to let him take my Sentinel had been defeated, and I merely stood in the downpour, the rain soaking me through forlornly.

The Emperor looked at me with an air that seemed genuinely concerned for my being when he noted my broken hopes. Again, the look was reminiscent of U-Mos. Or, perhaps it was the tears clouding my vision that made it seem that way? "So here's what's gonna happen now, Moony," he said calmly. "Listen closely - we absolutely _cannot _afford any mishaps, understand? Iot will kill me if this goes wrong."

I couldn't believe myself when I nodded stiffly.

He visibly excited. "Good to know we're both on the same page." Clearing his throat again, he said, "Because you interfered with this operation, you now have a role to play for the Horde."

_The Horde._ The words were disturbing.

He continued, "You will descend this mountain, go down to Tempest and gather the Luminoth. You will tell them that U-Mos has been killed. Nothing _more, _and nothing _less._ Is that clear?" He didn't wait for my response. "And I'll bet those pompous moths won't believe you, so, I recommend..." He reached one of his free legs behind me, making certain he balanced himself. Taking something into his claw, he tossed it before me."...using this as proof that you aren't lying."

U-Mos' staff rested at my feet, its gorgeously-carved wood soggy and stained with his blood. A section of the text carved into it read _Unbreakable._ Bitter irony soiled the word with its bloody tainting.

The Emperor finished, "After that... well, we'll see where the Prophecy blows us."

His speech and the staff had been a lot to take in, but I was paying close attention when he muttered _prophecy. _I tilted my head. "What Prophecy?"

The Emperor automatically droned,

_"When the Sentinel's mind is shrouded _

_ As those of clouds coming in, _

_ And his soul is bound and doubted _

_ Is when the Ing shall rise and win._

_ Together, both shall fight him_

_ As Dark opposes Light._

_ Overwhelmed by evil tandem,_

_ He's no hope to survive the night._

_ Body parted from ghost_

_ And reaped from bone to bone,_

_ Take the corpse that matters most_

_ And march as victor home."_

In those three stanzas lurked the horrible stream of events that I had already witnessed. As the Emperor spoke each word of the Prophecy, I relived the entirety of my Aether homecoming, every remembrance burningly vivid. I began to shake again. The blazing knowledge was prominent throughout every corner of my mind...

Every second of the past hour had been completely and utterly real.

U-Mos was dead, and I was the one who was going to announce it to the Luminoth.

The Emperor snatched my attention from my thoughts. "So far, everything is going according to plan. I intend to keep it that way, and if you so much as stick one of your glowing toes out of line, then I will personally mutilate that pretty little face of yours cell by cell. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

I didn't respond. Moments drifted in silence.

Our business concluded, the Emperor turned from me.

"Wait!" I called. The word bursted from my mouth.

Swiveling around, he faced me again, and this time he was less than kind. _"What? _What else? I told you, time is short!"

Silently, I reached forward, where the Emperor lowered U-Mos to my level. Gingerly placing my fingers on his eyelids, I closed the Sentinel's eyes. He appeared to be more peaceful than prior, but I still recognized that he was burdened internally by the dreaded Shadow Poisoning. Even in death.

_Rest well, U-Mos,_ I uttered mentally.

The Emperor stared at me once I was finished like I was a raving lunatic. "You're curious," was all he said. He hurriedly turned again, swiftly striding towards the end of the plateau. "Do as you're told, E-Mir!" he barked in farewell.

From my position, I watched him depart. The last I saw of U-Mos was his hand as it dangled off of the Emperor's shoulders, waving in his strides as if in goodbye.

In a flash of lightning, the Emperor's crown had disappeared beyond the plateau's edge, and I was once again alone.

So there I stood, baffled, numb, and sopping in the rain at the zenith of Sentinel's Summit. The spires of black, slick rock surrounded me, sealing my fear and the cynically-hallowed incident that had taken place upon the mud of which I stood. The storm clouds churned around me, their spills of moisture waning into a weeping drizzle. All was silent but for the grieves of rain against Aether, and the light, frantic rushes of my breath. My mind sprinted at breakneck pace the commands of the Emperor Ing, _You will tell them that U-Mos has been killed._

I was to be the bearer of grim tidings to my people. Would they think I was the culprit? How would they cope with the news? What would be done then?

The weight of my forthcoming task was so great that I fell upon my knees to the bedraggled sludge of the plateau. Gradually, as my thoughts skyrocketed in panic, I bent over into the plateau's grime, squeezing it between my fingers weakly. My heart shattered, suffocating me. Tears gushed from my eyes as if a weir had ruptured.

I sobbed and I sobbed.

* * *

><p>I didn't know how much time passed while I was upon that plateau. The rain seemed endless, dragging my time and my sorrows. Each brush of thought blurred my inward perspective. The dread of the message I was to deliver prolonged my idleness as I stared meaninglessly into the sloppy mud beneath me, my mind thwarted.<p>

Through my delaying, the voice of the Emperor nagged at me constantly. _Do as you're told, E-Mir! _and _Time is short!_ I tossed over the commands again and again, but nothing sensible surfaced. I still didn't quite understand what he meant by them. U-Mos' time had been sliced into oblivion, how was there a shortage of time? What exactly was the motive behind hurrying this along?

The Ing worked in strange ways, I concluded. I would come to know that fact by heart when this day was over and passed.

Before long, I could no more stand the leadened feeling of my legs, nor the uncomfortable gross texture of the mud. Taking U-Mos' staff in my shaky hands, I heaved myself to my feet and stumbled, wading through the grim, and faced the edge of the plateau. The vast expanse of the rain-washed Tempest Valley was far below, and instead of it being purified, it seemed rinsed with foreboding.

I groaned, _I have to go... For the better of U-Mos..._ I reminded myself when I became doubtful. The reassurance was uttered several times.

Taking my first careful steps, I began my descent. As I progressed, I knew even without a reflection that I was a shocking sight. My carapace must have been strewn with hardened globs of the blackish, silty mud from the plateau. My antennae were heavy and brittle from it. On my face was a repulsive gash that made my left eye appear to be blackened. I was no doubt pale from what I had both witnessed and heard from the Emperor Ing, and my posture was stiff. I flinched at nearly every shadow that crossed the corner of my vision as I descended the mountain with vacant eye and mind.

While picturing my appearance, I also tried to envision how the Luminoth would react. Would they worry for me in my present, vulnerable condition? Would they disregard my tidings? Or would my ravaged appearance be direct evidence of all that had taken place atop the plateau? Would they even believe me?

The Tempest Valley's floor was distant, so I locked away the questions. Time was the only answer to them, anyway. The possible answers made me nervous.

U-Mos' staff had become a treasured trinket to me since I grabbed it to take along. I held it tightly in my left hand, close to my heart, and obsessively rubbed its Light Crystal garnish with my thumb. The beautiful staff was a fond memento of U-Mos that I could keep with me after his death; it soothed my strain as he would with his words. It still bore his smell. It also bore his blood, which would be another important proof of his inopportune demise.

Just thinking about his pain and his death further made me into a nervous wreck when hopping down the rocks, since my wings were too damp for a quick flight. But I was in no rush. Each one of my steps was faltered by hesitation - it took miraculous goading on my part to continue onward, all the while repulsing my eerie imaginings of the Ing's tenebrous plot.

What was it, exactly?

I sifted through this thought as I trekked on slippery rock. Judging by what the Emperor had said, I knew it involved U-Mos heavily. It also involved something that he had had inside of him before the Emperor stole his life. Was it the Shadow Poisoning? _What use would that be to the Ing?_ I asked myself. _How did U-Mos get infected with it in the first place? _

I kneaded my forehead, my thoughts swirling in a mighty maelstrom. There was another fact that had bothered the corner of my mind since U-Mos was killed. The demonic voice that had shouted, _"Let me out! Let me out!"_ still struck me to the marrow.

Who belonged to that voice? It wasn't U-Mos. I knew that because U-Mos' voice was warm and sonorous. _That_ voice was nothing short of a growl, and backed with festering evil. They were desperate, whoever they were, and lusted for a way to be freed.

Could it have been the Shadow Poisoning? _It would want to spread, so... it seems possible... But then again, nothing makes much sense anymore._

Sense. I wondered if the Luminoth would sense some form of wickedness was churning in our midst when I told them the... news. Would they do anything about it? Again, the questions reeled and boiled, making it difficult to decipher whether I was really understanding the gravity of the situation I had been entangled in. My mind was so full it was tearing the fabric of my goodly conscience.

The storm of my thoughts still eddied as I slid off the last rock and planted my feet onto the Aetherian soil. After climbing for about a half hour, my body was rigid, and my palms were riddled with small, harmless cuts. The irritating stinging of my left hand around the staff was maddening, but I stemmed the annoyance and held the staff tighter. I looked about the base of Sentinel's Summit and to the Luminoth dwellings not far off with a sense of loneliness.

Over the course of the night, the rain had dissipated into a feeble mist, barely making sound. The wind - previously a rampant hurricane - had become mild as well, and playfully meandered about the Valley, brushing against anything it passed gently. The ground here was moist, as was the air and the taste that lingered on it. The thick cloud covering overhead was merely the back-end of the storm, weak enough in some areas to allow the bleak moonlight to bleed through. Everything around was tinted a quiet, bluish-gray.

Although the drastic change was relaxing, the fact that the brutal storm had vanished so quickly was unnerving. Surely, while the storm was at its peak at Sentinel's Summit, some other damage must have devastated the Valley? But as I inspected, nothing but the smoking generator atop X-Tsr's building was ruined.

Had the weather been concentrated solely for the sake of U-Mos' death?

When he was dealt a final blow, the rain dumped from the clouds. His life had gone, and... so had the raging storm.

My mandibles curled into a dull frown. Knowing the scheming craft of the Ing, it seemed to be possible. After all, the Ing that the Emperor had spoken of predicted the entirety of the events that would lead to U-Mos' doom, and exactly who would take part in it. I suddenly bore no doubt that everything that had happened tonight had one way or another been manipulated by the hands of the Ing Horde.

That truth made me think further. What _else_ had the Ing planned?

Twisting the wood of the staff in my hands, I murmured, "I guess I'll find out soon." Taking in a preparatory breath, I began walking to the Luminoth homes. "This is much more intricate than I thought."

In the minute that the homes became close enough to touch, my mind raced again. What was I going to say to them? U-Mos was dead, yes, but how was I to deliver the message without uprising a potential panic? Was I to be blunt? Indelicate? Should I reveal the identity of his killer or keep the Emperor's harrowing deed a secret?

A small voice floating in the back of my mind instructed me to be blunt, but to keep the Emperor's name unknown. Strangely, I obeyed that voice, since I knew it from somewhere. I thought up the sentences to be used when I gave my message to the Luminoth.

Upon entry to the familiar, grass-covered bed of the dwelling alcove, an upper window bursted open. It startled me enough to make me give a squeak, and I held U-Mos' staff like one would a sword, aiming it at the window.

To my surprise, the opener of the window was none other than X-Tsr. Clearly, he had been expecting me. It seemed as though I hadn't seen him in eternity. He looked the same as he had when I left him for the Summit, except for the stress rings under his eyes. Beyond his features, I noticed that he wore an expression that was an unusual mix of relief, shock, and worry at my sighting.

He looked me up and down, his dull eyes smitten with disbelief. "Good Rezbits, E-Mir, what's happened to you?" My voice caught in my throat. I merely stared at him. "Are you all right? Say something!" he prodded, flinging his hands about.

"I-I think I'm a-all right," I stuttered, my voice rough.

X-Tsr then did something that I wasn't expecting. He somehow managed to wriggle himself out of his window, then land on the grass less-than-gracefully. He quickly shook his sore ankles then rushed for me, taking me by the shoulders and ogling at my appearance.

"You're filthy, girl, where have you been?" After furrowing his brows at my grungy carapace, his eyes wandered to the gash on my cheek. "Wha-? Who did this to you? Answer me, E-Mir! Tell me what's going on!"

I swallowed. "I can't tell you, X-Tsr." His brows shot skyward, and he looked about to scold me. I quickly intervened with, "Yet. There's..."

"There's what?"

Finally, X-Tsr laid eye on U-Mos' staff in my hand, and he visibly hardened, his face flushing partially. "The Sentinel's... staff?" X-Tsr's head shot in my direction. "What is the meaning of this?"

I weakly said, "There's something I need to tell the Luminoth." He didn't seem to understand, so I added, "It's very important that they hear what I have to say, X-Tsr. Can you help me and gather them? I know it is late, but this matter simply cannot wait for morning. Time is short."

His face became desensitized as he thought vigorously. "Short for what, exactly?" he droned. I sighed softly, "I don't know. But please, X-Tsr. I have to do this. Go and wake the others, tell them to go to the Meeting Grounds. I'll be waiting there." Smiling feebly, I stroked U-Mos' staff, which fed me courage.

X-Tsr softened and obliged. "Whatever you have to say, let it bring Light to our people."

Oh, how wrong he was.

I shirked his words, knowing that my statements would only bring turmoil. "Go. Bring them to the Meeting Grounds," I said, urging him on.

X-Tsr was nervous, but he trusted my judgement. With a parting nod, he jogged by me, making for his alerts at the first dwellingplaces. He began shouting and banging at the windows, informing all occupants to evacuate and head for the Meeting Grounds. Lamps were ignited at his shouts, and many eventually sleepily left their homes; parents with young children in their arms, and other parents dragging their adolescents behind. Their faces were burdened by tiredness, but also with confusion.

Knowing that X-Tsr would serve his assignment well, I proceeded from the alcove and towards the Meeting Grounds, where the Emperor's chore for me beckoned nigh. My stomach fluttered nervously, my hands became sweaty, and my heart beat rapidly as I advanced. The distance shrank ever faster.

Proclaiming the death of the Sentinel would be an arduous task, but a small speck of bravery reassured me that all would run well. I battled against that reassurance, denying that anything well would come from the murder of a great and honorable Luminoth such as U-Mos.

At the same time, however, an accompanying warmth eased my tattered worries. It stayed within me long enough for my arrival at the Meeting Grounds, where the shadows of the twilight hours basked the ground and the large, thick roots of the trees. Up in the distance, the jewel of the Great Temple shone bright with the glows from the Main Energy Controller. Perhaps the Great Temple was where my ease was coming from?

Finding a suitable place for my declaration (the center of the half-pipe in the Meeting Grounds), I stood anxiously, U-Mos' staff in-hand. I drummed my fingers restlessly upon its engraved surface as I waited for the procession of the oncoming Luminoth, my nervousness overcoming me like a wave. The time seemed to fly, but in reality, their coming spanned well over an hour.

It was not long after the multitude of my people filing into the place did the warming feeling suck itself from my body, and I was shivering at my spot like I were at Aether's poles.

X-Tsr had done his job too well. He must have darted throughout the Valley floor, inviting any Luminoth willing to listen to my words. There were so many Luminoth present that the extra members resorted to clinging to the walls. Everyone was crammed in so tightly that the sea of multicolored eyes and antennae melded together in rows to me. My head started to swim. I had never been one to gain courage as a public speaker.

The crowd was churning with hushed questions. Several of the Luminoth in the crowd would watch me with interest, while others were confused and trying to shake their sleep. I rubbed the staff's wood tensely, scouring the faces for X-Tsr, whom I found peeking at me from the farthest end of the throng, beside his mate, holding his sleeping sons in his arms. His presence and the small smile he flashed me drove me to begin.

I swallowed as a solid fog of silence settled over the gathering, and all eyes spotlighted onto me. The rain had stopped, and the entirety of the Meeting Grounds was still with apprehensiveness as it and its occupants waited for me to speak.

"My brothers, my sisters," I began, my voice miraculously carrying over the heads of my audience, despite my timid conduct at that moment. "A tragedy has befallen us this night. I saw it through my own eyes." The many close at hand drew in with rigid anticipation, and as I prolonged my message, they grew uneasy. "Our Sentinel U-Mos was killed."

_Nothing _more_ and nothing_ less.

The most unpredictable thing came subsequent. Both an incredulous outrage and a woeful groan from those attending issued in a mighty torrent. The crowd was in a distrustful and saddened state as questions and shouts were flung at me from all directions, many of them angry, and many others pleading.

"But U-Mos was unbreakable!" came a denial.

"He stood behind the weighty threat of the Ing Horde. He was young and strong!" sounded another.

"This cannot be true!" exclaimed one, then ten, then more than I could count. This refusal was the most repetitive I heard while standing in the half-pipe. I was, needless to say, astonished.

Somehow, the Emperor had known that they would deny my tidings. They thought I was a liar.

Using the Emperor's methods, I brandished U-Mos' blood-stained staff for all eyes. They all numbed at its sight, just as X-Tsr had. "You do not believe me? Then how would one explain this?" The dissent of the Luminoth diminished slightly at my words. "I did not kill U-Mos, but I watched as his life faded."

"And you did not save him?" someone hollered.

"How could this happen?" another cried.

"By whose hand was U-Mos slain?" one called.

"Sentinel, Sentinel!" someone bawled.

I raised my hands to calm them all. "Please, please! There was nothing I could have done, nor any way he could have been saved! It was fate's hand!"

A tall, rather tough-looking male in the crowd piped up. His sapphire markings shimmered in the moonlight that had managed to filter through the clouds. The pale light illuminated the assembly. "You saw who killed him, did you not?"

"Yes, I did, but-"

"Tell us who!" He suddenly unsheathed an Annihilator Beam out of a strap on his hip, cocking it with tenacity. I flinched, a tad disturbed that he would carry one of those weapons with him. "We must avenge our Sentinel's spilled blood!"

A chorus of agrees from supporting Luminoth sounded. Most of them were likely veterans of the Shadow War; veterans, who had once been peaceful soldiers, now turned vengeance-seekers.

Others, who sought a more docile approach to the issue, became nervous, hanging their heads and conversing with each other in undertones. While this moment of disorder lasted, I caught the eyes of X-Tsr. He looked at me with an eye of support, yet, barely touched with unbelieving. His mandibles firmed against his face, and his brows furrowed.

Waving my arms to regain the attention of the Luminoth, I spoke again. "I will not tell who killed U-Mos." An air of appalling reverberated through the bodies of the crowd. "No, I won't. But I would advise that none of you pursue any suspects, either. It would be foolish! Your very lives could be in jeopardy if anyone tried! U-Mos' killer is unlike any creature you have imagined." Shock then begat paranoia within my people. "I fear him."

I fidgeted uncomfortably, going silent. I didn't know what else to say.

After a lengthy silence, passed, a questioning voice came from the congregation, "Then what do you propose we do? Where is his body? Do we bury it? Do we carve a statue for him? Are we to elect a new Sentinel?"

Before I could respond, another voice did for me. "Allow me to answer that."

A chill ran along my spine at the tone of the voice, which issued from the shadows behind me. It was a low, masculine voice, and behind it was a proud gusto of arrogance. There was also the twinge of a sharp hiss when he said a word containing an 's'.

The Luminoth before me became scared and alarmed when they saw the being behind me. Ever so slowly, I turned around to face him.

I nearly screamed. Barely visible amongst the shadows of the tree roots, he leaned casually, watching the gathering. His Luminoth figure was lean and sharp-edged, highlighted with the cold blue moon rays. What stole my breath was the color of his carapace - it was an ink-like, dusky black that shone with an unprecedented sheen. Curling tribally all along his limbs and torso were stark orange markings, which glowed with an eerie fire. His eyes were that same piercing orange, smoldering with conceit. On his chest was a blanket of snow-white fur, and topping his head were antennae that seemed to be comprised of smoke.

I stared at him, fear shuddering my words. "Who are you?" I asked reverently.

Whoever-he-was smiled. It was a terrifying smile, in fact. When his mandibles curled, I discovered that they were lined on their undersides with jagged, pearlescent fangs. "Aw, Moony, shouldn't you recognize me? That kinda hurt."

Taking in a shrill gasp, I tensed acutely, my hands quivering beyond my control. The staff's end clattered upon the ground, loudly rattling the suffocating silence of the Meeting Grounds. I stuttered, "E-E-E-"

"Shh," he whispered, crossing towards me. The Emperor's Luminoth-form bore sharp-ended fingers and toes, and his wings were veined and thick. When he wrapped his arms around me to collect me into his chest, I couldn't help myself from whimpering. "Don't be that way. You've done very well," he murmured into my ear, his mandibles tickling. His breath was hot and smelled of corpses. I gagged a little. "I admire your commitment, but I figured I'd share this last bit of what's gonna happen. After all, it's the juiciest."

The Emperor let me go and turned towards the Luminoth multitude, who were as horrified and disturbed as I was. "It is truth, all that E-Mir has bestowed upon your minds tonight, my fair Luminoth." He said _fair_ with some difficulty. All who were present listened with shy interest as he spun his end of the news. "Whether you believe her story or not, the fact is clear - U-Mos is dead." The word pricked the hearts of many. He said it with delight.

"But, contrary to your beliefs, death is not the end," he proclaimed. Piqued by his words, the Luminoth listened further, all the while cringing from his insane smile. "You see, U-Mos had many roles in his lifetime. He was a son, a student, a warrior, an apprentice, a Sentinel, and eventually, a martyr." The Emperor spoke rather visually; he would wave and raise his hands as he stated off his words. This entranced the audience. "Now, even in death, he plays another role. The role of one resurrected from his grave."

Shock wavered the crowd at his feet, and even in me. _Resurrection? Is that possible?_

Then I was reminded. The Ing Horde had resurrected from the collapse of Dark Aether. The Emperor Ing himself stood not two paces from me, resurrected from the penalizing blasts of Samus Aran's weaponry.

How was he to do this extraordinary phenomenon?

I listened now with intensity, drinking in every syllable that escaped the Emperor's Luminoth mouth. "U-Mos will rise from his tomb and walk along this planet in exactly three days. On the evening of the third, he will present himself to you and for all to see that he has fulfilled his roles and providences. Wait for him, and you will know."

He smiled at the gathering, then said in a confident tone, "When finished through and way, with his skin chilled as death, then on the passed third day, U-Mos shall renounce his breath. Reach into the specters' court to retrieve a soul you crave. He laid below to bestow the sort of rising from the grave." I knew by the way his words rhymed that he was quoting the Prophecy again, which haunted me. What else did the Prophecy tell?

A perturbed silence saturated the Meeting Grounds as the Emperor ceased talking. He gazed with his startling eyes into the faces of the Luminoth, seemingly reading into their minds. "Do not appoint a new Sentinel. Govern yourselves for the time being. Now off with you!" he growled loudly, causing a wince throughout the meeting. "The countdown of three days starts _now!"_

With that, the gathering slowly left the Meeting Grounds in a disquieted fashion, only their footsteps sounding. I was hurt to find that X-Tsr had vanished along with them.

After a seemingly endless time, the Emperor and I were alone.

He immediately turned to me, jovially smiling. It was slightly creepy. "That went well, don't you think?"

I didn't respond to his question. "How are you going to resurrect U-Mos?" I prodded. "Resurrection isn't natural, Emperor! What's dead is dead!"

_"Pfft. _That's what you think," he mocked. "Look at me, Moony, does this seem dead to you? Heck, I'm as healthy as a Grenchler!"

"That's not my point. Where in the world are you going to do this? And _how?"_

He sighed, looking into the sky. "I've got some great resources under my belt, girl, so this resurrection thing won't be difficult at all. You can trust my word as an Emperor."

"That's reliable," I muttered sarcastically, but since he was thinking, he didn't hear me.

Provoked thought flowed into his face, inspiring him with some wild idea. "As for the location... Hm..." His brows rose. "Since you've been such a dutiful little lackey, why don't I let you in?"

"Let me in?" I echoed, extremely confused.

"Precisely. You could come and see what we've been doing these past months. E-Mir, when I look at you, I see a profound potential; not as a Luminoth, but as an Ing. One of my own. A member of the Horde." He became giddy. "Such an invitation! And by the Emperor himself, even! Doesn't that just entice you?" he dragooned alluringly.

"How could you even-?" I tried to say, but he cut me off fluidly.

"Yeah, yeah... What a stupendous idea! I'll thank myself for thinking of it later. You, coming to the Horde to watch over U-Mos as we prepare for the next three days... We could use the Luminoth-anatomical insight, after all... You'd be a special guest, dear! What an honor it would be for you to play in our midst during these ever-so important hours of our existence."

He leaned closer to me, his fangs glinting. "What do you say, E-Mir? Why not leave behind the Luminoth who thought you a liar, and come to a new family? As far as I know, the Horde and I are all the family you've got left."

I shook my head, determined. "My parents are still out there, Emperor. I'll find them. Mark my words."

He snorted under his breath. "Sure you will. Anyway, you still haven't answered me."

I stared at my feet, indecisive. "..."

"U-Mos will be there..." the Emperor tempted. "You'll get to watch his resurrection first hand."

Half of me had then decided, but the other half was still awaiting convincing. I had to see U-Mos alive again for myself. Even if it meant diving into the maw of the Horde. "Where is the Horde stationed?" I asked, looking into his fiery eyes.

The Emperor smirked. "Eager, are we? Well, I'd love to tell you right at this moment, but seeing as I still don't know what you'd do if you found out, I'm keeping that bit of info secret. What if you sic the warrior Luminoth on us? What if you suddenly have a change of heart and try to steal U-Mos' body from our home?" I glared stubbornly at him. "Yeah. No, I won't tell you, but later, you'll see."

"Then how will I join the Horde if I can't find them?"

His antennae shivered, spewing wisps of smoke into the air. "You won't have to, sweetie. I've got that all taken care of." He glanced around him, then up into the twilit horizon towards the mountains. "I'll send a team to collect you. Should be painless - they're precision experts."

_"Collect me?_ You've got to be kidding! You're going to seriously kidnap me?" I goggled.

"Did I say kidnap? I don't think I did!" He fingered my mud-crusted antennae. I swatted his hands away madly. "You need to clean those, Moony. They must be mucking up your hearing." The Emperor chuckled at his joke. "No, a team of Ing will collect you and bring you to the Horde's hideout at midnight. You've got a few hours to, er, prepare for it." He eyed my mud-caked carapace. "You should use that time to take a bath."

"Why can't you just take me with you now?" I forced, already shrinking away from the shadows. "Why are you so reserved on this matter?"

"I've already stated my reasons. Now please, don't make this hard for yourself. Even if you try to hide, we'll find you. Don't try to run, 'cause we'll catch you. Make it simpler for my boys, would you? Just stay put so we won't have to chase. Capisce?"

He didn't wait for my confirm. "Good. Now then, I have business back at home." The Emperor, in parting, caressed my scarred cheek with a knuckle. His touch chilled my skin. "I'll see you later, Moony."

He vanished into the darkness.

* * *

><p>It was minutes to midnight.<p>

Time had flown.

The moon, peeking in and out of the clouds, watched me, apprehensively on the lookout for any sign of the Emperor's collection crew. I waited under its rays, eyes flashing to any moving thing in the dull shine.

I was tired after waiting fretfully over those long, grueling hours. A quick, cleansing bath in a body of water had widened my eyes for a moment, but paranoia and stress soon overcame the effects. Yes, I was excited to be back in the presence of U-Mos, but the way that that would come about was ebbing away my sanity.

The rock I sat upon was located in a grove of trees in an unsettled part of the Tempest Valley. I sat beneath the shady canopy filtered by faint wind and moonlight, thoroughly alone. U-Mos' staff rested across my lap, stable even in the tapping of my toes. My fingertips were raw from rubbing them into the rock over the course of the time I had waited here.

_How many Ing would I see at midnight? _I asked myself. _What breeds?_ I knew Warriors, Hunters, and Inglets from the tales I had heard during the war, but in reality, I could only imagine them. What did these various Ing look like in the flesh? Were they as daunting as the Emperor Ing? Only time could educate me.

Time was very prompt this night, as it had galloped through the hours till midnight was nigh on striking. I waited and waited, my chest churning with anxiety. My breathing was pressured, and my eyes were dry and stinging from exhaustion.

Finally, a long beam of light from the Great Temple flashed into the sky, indicating that the previous day was over, and that the new day had begun.

_The Light Breaks, _I murmured in my mind, watching as it faded back into the Great Temple. _It is only a matter of-_

My thoughts ground to a halt when the series of hissing and scratching issued from the tangled bark of the grove. Whipping my head about and getting to my feet, I watched the quartet of enormous Ing melt from the shadows, each of their large garnet, topaz, emerald, and peridot-hued eyes brighter than the moon.

I noticed that the three with the green, gold, and lighter green shimmers had no legs, and were merely floating masses of black tentacles enveloping their glowing cores. The one that did have legs largely resembled the Emperor when I had first seen him, with five, rather skinny legs, tentacles lining the forehead, and a short, stubbed tail between the pair of hind legs. This Ing, with the garnet-hued eye, however, was rather plain, and unadorned with extravagant body-plating.

A startling sound came from that Ing. It was feminine, and of higher octave than a male Ing. The hissing backing her tone was dramatic. "My name is Delain," she introduced with a barely-visible bow. "This is my team. I presume you are _E-Mir?" _She said my name with obvious struggle.

I nodded mutely, holding U-Mos' staff as if it would keep me from dying. Delain, as she was called, said further, "We have been instructed to take you to our home. Our Emperor asked specifically for closed-vision escort."

"That means," said one of the floating Ing in a youthful tone. He must have been younger than the others, for he was smaller in size. "that we cannot let you see where we are going. You'll have to be blinded momentarily."

I swallowed, wondering what blinding me entailed. "That seems reasonable," I said uneasily. "A-are we leaving soon?"

Delain's shrewd stare was stunning. "We'll be leaving immediately." She retreated a few steps, lowering her frontmost trio of legs and elevating her rear two. "Hold her firm, Jaire, Xel, Mendt. I reckon she'll react radically."

Suddenly, the three floating Ing wrapped slimy, rugged tentacles around my arms and tightened them, hovering around me. They looked onward at Delain solemnly.

"What's she doing? Someone tell me!" I panicked just as Delain charged, her body vanishing gradually into a barreling column of purple fog, which exploded into me once we met. The fog seeped into my skin, and a painful cold crept its claws inside of me. My innards froze, and my knees buckled. The three Ing above me caught my limp form.

I screamed shrilly, trying to force Delain out, but her power within my body was dominant of my own will. My throat tightened and my heart felt as if it would burst, which was followed by a strike of pain as if acid were flowing through my veins.

I screamed louder when the forest before me was engulfed in pitch, and the Ing supporting me lifted me into a realm of shadows.

I couldn't see where they were taking me.

I didn't know what would become of me while I lived amongst the Ing Horde.

_What have I done?_

These questions dissolved under the authority of Delain as she seized me entirely, and plunged me into a lagoon of gloaming.

**I love the Emperor Ing. So much. **

** Yes, if anyone has read **_**The Ing**_** by myself,you'll see what I recycled a few names. I couldn't think of anything fancy at the moment I was writing this, and since I never finished **_**The Ing**_**, I figured I'd give them a second chance!**

** Anyway, how was it? Did it satisfy? Was it all right?**

** Tell me if you wanna. :P Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!**

** See ya next chapter!**


	3. Countdown - Guardian

**ARGH! This sucker is FINALLY DONE! Man. I am SO sorry for the delay. You have every right to verbally hit me. Augh!**

** Anyway, before I begin, let me just acknowledge the genius of one of my good friends, James Daniel Harris, for the design of the Emperor's Luminoth-form. It's pretty cool, isn't it? Yeah!**

** By the way, I would like to thoroughly apologize to E-Mir the Luminoth17 for my lateness. :( I feel SO BAD! :(**

** Well... I hope this chapter makes up for it. Forgive any errors, misspellings, etc. You've been great so far! **

** Without further ado, I present, **_**Coundown – Guardian...**_

Eyes.

Scores of eyes in an array of colors.

They drifted in a vast void of blackness, blinking and boring into me piercingly as I hovered at their center.

They were all petrifying, but _hers_ was the eye that consumed me. Delain's. I cringed from the rich garnet of her stare, but I could not evade it. She seemed to be everywhere I turned.

_Where are we? _I asked her, my voice trembling.

Her response was extraordinarily loud, the hiss behind her tone like a shriek. It tore at my antennae. _We're here. _Her glowing eye flickered, and her faint, slate silhouette materialized within the darkness. She stood alert, turning slightly. _Now pull yourself together, moth. The Emperor will be meeting us personally._

A surge of panic blazed through me. _W-where is he? _I wondered tinily.

_ Focus! _she barked. _It's dark here!_

I did as she said, squinting into my vision. The swarm of eyes before me blurred, and one by one they sharpened into a mass of Ing bodies. They were all beneath and on top of each other, squeezing between one another to catch a glimpse of me. They were packed together tightly, and wherever we were, it breathed with their bizarre Ing chatter.

I found myself to be shuddering from them because, from what I remembered of being "collected" by Delain and her crew, I knew that Ing were rather large. But the Ing here were all menacingly towering.

_Why are they all so... big? _I panicked internally, feeling myself begin to shake. Whatever was beneath me was slimy and cold, I realized, as my body slowly revitalized itself from its numbness.

_Are you _that_ dim? _Delain snapped. _Besides your puny physique, you - er, _we _- are lying on the floor! Now get up! The Emperor is here!_

I drug my head painstakingly towards a split in the crowd, but I could not bring myself to get to my feet. Every muscle in my body was paralyzed. Through Delain's rude prodding, I remained sprawled on the slimy surface I was upon, watching as the Emperor, in his Ing form, sauntered to my position.

His bloody eye shone with disappointment as he said, "Delain, that wasn't very nice. You shouldn't have just dumped her on the floor, she's our honored guest." Delain was silent when he focused on my face apologetically. "E-Mir, my sincerest apologies. I do hope you'll forgive the _inefficiency_ of Xel, Jaire, Mendt and Delain."

All I could do was twitch my antennae in response.

When he noticed this, he retorted in a terrifying manner - his eye flashed fiercely, and Delain recoiled, causing me to giggle uncomfortably. _"Get out!"_ he barked, tentacles rattling intimidatingly.

It was then that Delain obeyed, and started to slither her way from the depths of my body through to my skin, which was exceedingly unbearable. The stiffness of my limbs vanished in an instant, and my entire being was abruptly assaulted by claws of pain. It felt as if she were physically stampeding from within me out, wreaking a trail of ice and shoving anything inside me from her path. I writhed and wailed till her journey came to its swift end, and a sickening, violet sludge oozed from the openings of my carapace and onto the floor in a squirming procession.

When she was freed of my body, I laid limply, gasping and trying to catch a breath. The Emperor seemed saddened by the happenings. His expression resounded with something equivalent to pity.

The puddle of sludge crept across the floor and gathered beneath the floating forms of Xel, Mendt, and Jaire, rising to form the five-legged figure of Delain.

When her eye solidified and glowed, the Emperor straightened his posture and locked eye on each Ing of the team. "Are you finished?" he ordered. They each nodded once.

The three hovering Ing's cores were dim with shame, their tentacles curled in on themselves. Delain, however, stood obstinately, and refused to share their shame with a dull look into the Emperor's critical features.

The floating Ing with the radiant gold core began, "Forgive us-"

_"SHUT UP!"_ the Emperor screamed, his response nearly causing the poor Ing to plummet out of sheer terror. His voice rebounded off the walls stridently. "Regardless that you got E-Mir down here, you failed to do so in a respectable manner! We have a guest, you four, and as such I expect to see some decency from here on out! Now, I will _not_ have such an imprudent form of possession in this new dispensation!"

Delain snickered.

The Emperor immediately whipped on her, his fury vibrant. "And what are you tittering at?" he growled.

She shirked the inquisition, rolling her eye and saying venomously, "I don't have time for this. I've been inside a Luminoth, Emperor. I need to _bathe."_ Her disgust was prominent even in the way she walked past him, through the throng, and into the darkness beyond the room. The clicking of her claws soon faded into nothing.

A heavy silence stalked the dank air. The assembly of Ing had all watched her leave, but their attentions were quickly recaptured as the Emperor grunted some interesting Ing-tongue, his eye swimming with impatience and his bottom lid twitching.

He turned back to the three Ing, who visibly shrunk back, expecting another slew of scolding. Luckily for them, however, the Emperor's steam had dissipated with the tension and departure of Delain, so he merely said, "If you do not stay on task, you'd best be watching your backs, gentlemen." They relaxed slightly. "Now get out of my sight."

Jaire, Xel and Mendt each quickly hovered away, murmuring thanks and gratitude towards him. He merely glared at them and sneered.

When they were gone into the crowd, the Emperor suddenly lost his air of crudity and knelt to my level, holding out a claw for me to take. His voice was that of a gentleman. "I, uh, hope she didn't do anything serious to you," he said quietly. "Can you move?"

I confirmed this by reaching out to his claw, taking it gingerly. "Somewhat, yes." With noble strength, he pulled me to my unstable feet, where I wobbled.

He waited for me to stabilize myself. "Are... you okay?" he wondered awkwardly.

I blinked into his bright eye, a question furrowing my brow. "I'm fine, but has anyone ever told you that you have astounding mood swings? Those outbursts were incredible to watch."

A witty persona filled him, and he chuckled lightheartedly. "I've just got multiple masks I wear. Keeps the audience guessing, y'know?"

"Your... audience?"

He grinned like an excited child, but the grin wasn't villainous. It was more... pleasant. I hardly believed he could register an emotion of that caliber without exuding a sinister vibe. "Yeah. My mob of boneless low-lives I call a Horde."

The Emperor took a glance over his shoulder at the remaining audience of Ing, who had all overheard the insult as they watched us. They were trying to appear incredulous, but the whispers were echoing too much to deny.

"He's showing _It_ again..." one of them muttered, and subsequent rang a series of disapproved hissing.

The Emperor's temper boiled again without warning. "BEAT IT!" he screamed. "You all have things to do, so go and do them!"

The room we stood in cleared in an instant as the Ing melted into their ooze forms and vanished into the shadows.

I gaped at the Emperor as he swiveled back to me. "What?" he wondered.

"What's _It_?" I asked. "And what were you _showing?"_

Suddenly, the Emperor froze. As I inspected him for any sign of disturbance, I noticed the small, fluttering spots of white within his eye just before they dissolved from it, leaving it murky as blood. His tentacles shivered, and he stared seemingly through me. Goosebumps erupted over his hide.

He startled me as he blubbered some nonsense and shook himself back to alert. Blinking, he exhaled. "We should get going. Arlot will be expecting us." Without expounding, the Emperor had swiveled on his claws and was briskly walking towards the large, blackened exit of the room.

I stood, dumbfounded, and also, a tad disturbed. _What caused _that _reaction?_ I thought. Curiosity stole me, but as I continued fantasizing over the possible triggers, I found myself frightened by what the answers could have been.

_This situation is much bigger than me... _I wondered meekly.

As my only source of light - the Emperor's eye - faded into the distance, the thick darkness began to settle closer to me. It seemed, in my spiking fear, that the darkness itself was tangible as it crept towards my skin, giving me chills. Remembering how well those Ing had blended into the shadows, I began fearing what could be prowling through my black surroundings.

"Hey, hustle, Moony!" the Emperor's voice beckoned through my apprehensiveness. Turning my head, I found him to be waiting at the edge of the exit, tapping his claw on the floor. "Arlot's an impatient Ing!" He added under his breath, "And I can be too, under the proper circumstances..."

Grateful that he was kind enough to wait for me, I hurriedly dashed forward, meeting him at the corner. Safe in the glow from his eye, I sighed in relief. I held my chest to calm my heart, the Emperor noticing with slight intrigue as he waited for me to recover. "Agh, I hate the dark. Never have liked it," I breathed.

He began walking, saying bluntly, "You ought to get used to it. We live in perpetual night, down here."

"Down where?" I asked, keeping up with his wide stride. "Where are we exactly?" The darkness swallowed up the vast majority of the passage we were walking through, so it was pointless to attempt a guess.

The Emperor sighed heavily. "Perhaps... I shouldn't be so secretive with you anymore, seeing as you're here, and all. You're one of the Horde now, aren't you?" He thought over this for several steps, then he said, "To be honest, E-Mir, we are miles beneath Aether's surface. This is where the Horde's been living since we woke up here, all those months ago. This cavern system is what we call home."

On instinct, I looked up.

He laughed at my reaction. The sound, oddly, lifted my nervous spirits. "Do not worry, E-Mir. The rock of these caves is practically indestructible. After all, it _is_ the rock comprising Sentinel's Cave."

Remembering the symbolic meaning to the name behind Sentinel's Cave, I gazed into the stone beneath my feet forlornly, immediately thinking of U-Mos. "Indestructible, hm...? Since I first saw him, he seemed that way, to me... I was wrong."

The Emperor fell quiet for a few moments before saying reverently, "You know, there was a reason he wasn't indestructible."

I glanced at him with a hint of fire in my eyes. "Obviously. He was poisoned. You said it yourself."

"Eh, there's a little more to it than that." When I made a face of perplexity, he continued, "If you are to follow our procedure, you need to understand this, E-Mir: No amount of water, no matter how hard it tried, could ever sink the smallest ship... until it got inside."

"Inside?" I echoed to myself, shuddering at the picture of the Ing getting _inside_ of U-Mos.

His eye drained in thought. "U-Mos was... _impossible_ to breach at first, but... we got to him, in the end. We got inside..." he murmured. "It wasn't easy, for sure, but we did it... _He _did it, really..." His voice eerily danced along the walls, shivering my fur. He seemed to be in an entirely different state of mind.

I couldn't help myself from staring in an uncanny mixture of awe and horror at him as he dreamily thought aloud. _Is he supposed to be telling me this?_ _Does he even realize? _I wondered. _Perhaps he can tell me something worthwhile?_

Fatefully, just when I was listening and becoming interested, the Emperor caught himself. He shifted abruptly from the conversation, staring ahead. "All right, Moony. Stay close to me from now on."

Without question, I did as he said, shuffling closer to his legs. He, in turn, lowered himself closer to my level protectively. I followed his eye toward a wide opening in the passage, which lead to a huge room. Within the room, I heard the reverberations of Ing-tongue, the scuffle of claws against stone, and a distinct bustle.

"Where are we going?"

"Arlot's chamber. It's through the main plaza just ahead. With all the rush, I'd rather you keep close to me so you don't get lost and wind up in the wrong claws," he replied.

My brows furrowed. "Why is that? I think I can fend for myself."

The Emperor shook his head. "You're not among friends anymore, E-Mir. Not here. Some of the Ing here aren't too fond of housing three Luminoth in our midst."

With that said, I held onto his rightmost leg timidly.

Then it struck me, what he had said. _U-Mos, myself, and...? _Moments before we were to enter the plaza, I looked up into the Emperor's face. "Third? Who is the third Luminoth?"

His response was barely audible beneath the loud noise of the ahead room, but I heard him all the same. "You'll meet him soon enough."

_Great. More secrets._

We entered the plaza. It was only when we dove into the flowing, chaotic crowd did I realize that I could see marvelously well in this room. I blinked only slightly, for the new light wasn't entirely bright, but on the flip-side, it wasn't shady, either. Clinging to the Emperor's leg and skittering alongside him, I looked above me to find the source of the mysterious light.

What I found above me was amazing. Dripping from the rugged, lofty ceiling of the plaza were dozens of stalactites, which were teeming with sleeping sandbats. Running amongst the ceiling-bound bases of the stalactites were broad, faintly-glowing roots, which radiated a muted-crimson light. They pulsed with the light, and as I lowered my gaze towards the scores of Ing crawling along the walls and barging past each other on errands, I inquired that they were virtually unharmed by it.

_This certainly is new... _I marveled. Pressing myself onto the Emperor's leg to avoid being crushed by other Ing (who were staring at me as they passed), I called to him, "The roots!" in amazement.

Parting an easy path for himself, he replied, "I know! Marvelous things, aren't they? Those redroots are a gift! Without them, we'd be blind!"

As we plunged through the Ing, my mind meandered. Despite the Ing Horde's awful smell, and the chilling auras they emitted, the caverns were strangely homey. Looking past the dark presence of the Ing, the caverns were beautiful when lit, and were resonant with stories and natural history. I palely felt, as the Emperor wove through the crowds, that I could have belonged here - within the right company, of course. I didn't seem to fit in wherever I wandered with the Luminoth, after all. These Ing were all rather peculiar, but I was peculiar as well. Maybe this was where I was supposed to be?

When we were nearly through to the offshoot of a passage the Emperor was making for, I heard someone shout, "Erebus!" He appeared to hear the cry, but didn't take the time to answer their call and utterly ignored it till he arrived in the empty hall, stopping and looking back. I pulled away from his leg and looked with him.

From the depths of the crowd proceeded another floating Ing, only this Ing had a gorgeous, pink-glowing core. It floated to us in a hurry, its foursome of elegant tentacles whistling behind it. It called, "Erebus!" again, and by the gentle soprano of the voice, I assumed that this particular Ing was female.

When she finally caught up to us, she gave a respectful bow to the Emperor. "Thank you for waiting."

He returned the bow, his expression likewise. "I respect you enough."

She beamed. "The Horde is working at wondrous pace to ensure that this operation runs smoothly," she said with pride. "Everything is going according to plan."

The Emperor replied courteously, "I have recruited someone to assist in that. This is E-Mir." He turned to me, gesturing to the female Ing. "E-Mir, meet Iot, our local oracle. She foresaw the prophecy that will relate to each happening over these next three days."

Iot seemed to be inspecting me, for I felt her eye upon me. "So, your name is E-Mir? I saw nothing of you..." I smiled sheepishly at her remark. She went on, flushing a white-washed pink. "My, aren't you beautiful! It is a pity I did not see such a stunning Luminoth during my visions! Truly a pity."

I blushed, though I felt extreme awkwardness. "Th-thank you, Iot."

She went on, caressing the crescent moon on my forehead with the chilling tip of a tentacle. For some reason, I didn't flinch away. Iot, to me, seemed good-natured_. Possibly a friend?_

"The crescent moon...?" She buzzed for a brief moment, her core twinkling in ponder. "You certainly are special, I can see that." She swiveled towards the Emperor. "For what purposes did you bring her here, Erebus?"

He gestured back towards an opening in the hall, where the roots from the previous room were condensed thickly. They trailed into the next room, igniting it with their colors rather keenly. "Due to E-Mir being a Luminoth, we're going to put her knowledge of her species' physiology to good use."

Iot was fascinated. "Oh, alongside Arlot?" The Emperor nodded an agreement. "I see," she murmured in a devout fashion. "In that case, might I accompany you? I must speak with you afterwards, Erebus."

He chuckled twice, his happiness escalating from out of nowhere. "I don't see why not. C'mon, you two," he said cheerfully.

Almost instantly, the Emperor noticed the amiable tone in his voice. He appeared wildly embarrassed, and exchanged wary glances with Iot, who floated towards the opening in the tunnel with stiff tentacles. Grunting more Ing-blubbering to himself, the Emperor followed her, while I followed suit, all the while thoroughly bewildered.

_Was that the It, again?_ I mused. _Though I didn't see anything..._ I sighed in confusion.

I dropped the matter once I entered Arlot's chamber. Striping the four lumpy rock walls were the redroots, radiating their light. But since this room wasn't as large as the plaza, these roots were thinner, and their radiance rather weak, leaving patches of darkness here and there. All around the walls and between the redroots were carved-in shelves of rock, which bore oddly-shaped flasks, bottles, trinkets, and various Luminoth medical tools. A cluster of stalagmites in the center of the room had been gouged and made into rather crude ledges, which held more supplies of that of a chemist. I thought I recognized a few of the objects.

Left in a corner were two holographic modules. Clearly Luminoth built, they were each projecting images into the air; one of them flashing a skeletal x-ray, complete with a damaged left femur bone and missing many ribs in the abdomen. The other appeared to be a list of some kind, but since the text was fuzzy-looking and foreign to me, I couldn't read what was displayed.

In another corner was a pile of junk consisting of discarded bandages, old machine parts, and the battered helmet of an Ingsmasher. The third corner was laden with broken glass and mirror shards, heaps of translucent goo slopped over them.

In the final corner was an Ing (whose physique resembled the Emperor's), bent over an unmoving figure on a jutting slab of smoothed stone against the wall. I recognized the toes of the unmoving figure that the Ing was working over. My heart did a small flip.

Since the Ing was engrossed in their work, they were oblivious to the Emperor's, Iot's, and my entry. They were muttering observations in a mature, masculine voice to themselves, taking occasional glances to the x-ray hologram above the module. "Let's see... clearly burdened before death by exhaustion and fear... Slight traces of Black Scarring on the inside... Hm. Died young. How sad."

The Emperor cleared his throat obnoxiously. "Arlot," he interrupted.

His alert unfazed the Ing, who simply paused a moment in his work to speak and process our presence. "Yes? What do you want?" His voice was thick with knowledge and astuteness.

The Emperor smirked, pushing me forward, where I stumbled clumsily. I had to catch myself from knocking into the stalagmites. "We brought you a present," he said temptingly. When Arlot did not move, he added grumpily, "Take a break, will ya? You've been at that for hours."

Arlot reluctantly set down whatever he had in his claws, slowly twisting to face us with eye closed. "Pardon me for working hard, Emperor. You ordered me to-" he cut off once he opened his eye and saw me, freezing in his place and gawking.

We stood, exchanging glances for several moments. It was there that I got a perfect view of the Ing. Arlot was about a foot taller than I was, with smokey, black hide that was mottled with silver freckles. His legs were powerful with muscle, but by the light way he balanced on his claws, I could tell he was less rough, and more precise. He took in my appearance with a large, mahogany-colored eye, mutely.

He blinked and aimed a claw at my face, a look of disgust overpowering his own. "What is _this?"_

I wasn't even entitled to a gender with this Ing. Thoroughly offended, I twitched my wings, brows scrunching. Whatever the Emperor had in store for me with him, I was not looking forward to it.

The Emperor grinned while Iot hovered at my back. _"This, _Arlot, is our lovely guest, E-Mir. She'll be staying with us until U-Mos rises."

The Ing snorted cruelly. "Some present." He sighed. "So why did you bring her here? What's it got to do with me?"

The Emperor grinned cruelly. "Glad you asked. See, this girl went and challenged me after U-Mos was killed." Arlot's brow rose steadily, as if he were somehow impressed. "That kind of assertive action got me interested, and after we talked a little, I convinced her to come to our side to join in our operation."

"And that involves me how?" Arlot wondered, his attentiveness rapidly vanishing.

The Emperor focused on him almost like a father would. The Ing promptly readied himself and listened. "Because she's a Luminoth, I thought she could help you with the... anatomical questions you've been pressing on me about U-Mos. You can't to your job right if you have no idea what you're doing, and seeing as I can't answer those questions, I figured that she would be the perfect assistant for you." Arlot stiffened, taking in his meaning. "I want you to be her guardian, and also, I want you to teach her."

Arlot took in a breath, gazing at him. "Excuse me - _teach?"_

"Yup. T-E-A-C-H, Arlot. Teach."

He fired in rebuttal,"You know that I have never taken on an Ing as a student? A-and I have absolutely, never in my wildest dreams imagined teaching a Luminoth!" He jabbed two claws on his chest. "Do you honestly see me as the teaching type?"

The Emperor thought for about a second before replying flatly, "No. But, seeing as there's always room to grow, I guess we'll see how this'll turn out. Do it."

Arlot's face was blank. With either awe or defile, I wasn't sure of. "Wha-" he stuttered.

"Let me make this short, Arlot, before you blow a fuse. Are you gonna take her and watch her, or are you not?" the Emperor inquired, pulsing with rising hostility.

Arlot shouted, "I'm not a babysitter! I'm a doctor!" He flung a claw in my direction. "You expect me to-"

The Emperor suddenly sped around me and up to the Ing, leaning extremely close to his eye. The doctor froze immediately. He growled lowly, "I expect you to follow orders and do as you're told, Arlot." His words made Arlot's legs quiver. "This is crunch-time. _I'm_ the one pulling the strings, and just as I can pull you around on orders, I can cut your string without a regret." He added with cruel fondness, "Besides... as of late, you have had a tiny amount of value, Arlot, and as such, you are readily expendable. Understand?

"Now, you're either with me, or you're headed for The Pond," he concluded with an intimidating sneer. "Take your pick."

Arlot had been defeated. "She's safe with me, Emperor," he muttered.

He smiled. "Good boy." Straightening, he looked back to Iot. "Well! Now that that's settled, what did you need, Iot?"

She perked up instantly. "There are some complications with the portal that I think you ought to see, Erebus."

His interest was obviously faux. "Are there? Lead the way, then." Iot did as he told, swiveling and drifting toward the exit of the chamber. While mid-stride in pursuit, the Emperor, with a cunning look about him, winked at me. "Have fun, Moony. Behave yourself!" He watched Arlot for a moment, squinting at him. "I'll see you later."

As he left, I was mildly disturbed at his ridiculously fluctuating moods, but croaked out a small, "Goodbye," before slowly turning to face Arlot. I felt abruptly exposed without him.

I found Arlot to be lost in thought, staring at his claws. He stood there for several moments, the silence hanging around us weighty. I glanced around, waiting for him to reclaim his honor after that stupefying show of superiority.

"Before we start this off, I need to clarify something, little miss moth," he groused, looking me square in the face. His eye was shrewd. "Don't think I'm a pushover. I make my own decisions, and if feasible, I just might make yours, too. Now that you're under my care, you have to follow whatever I say and when I say it. You need to be quick on your feet, and you need to think like an Ing. I don't want any of that Light-Might crap, got it?"

I nodded quietly, with some hesitance.

"And another thing," he added, approaching me. "No assistant of mine is going to be a wussy little lily-liver. Whenever I ask you something, you will reply firmly, with pride, and without falter. That's how our army does it, and that's how you'll do it. Crystal? None of that silent nodding - if you do it, I'll dump something over your head! And you can bet it'll be something caustic!"

I almost nodded again, but quickly caught myself, flinching from the thought of whatever chemicals he had in his possession. "Yes," I said aloud, forcing the volume out of my throat.

Arlot seemed partially pleased. "Keep those in mind, you. I'll think of other rules as time passes. But until then..." He stepped back from the table he was standing before, revealing the Luminoth corpse atop it. "We have other engagements."

I nervously eyed the body. His eye twinkled gruesomely at my reaction. "You ready to work with me?"

I sighed to myself. "As I'll ever be."

He snickered fiendishly. "Oh, don't you worry. We'll fix that soon enough. We Ing have a _natural talent _for altering people." Arlot cracked his claws on the floor. "Let's go, you! We have a body to prepare!"

And with that, Arlot sent me to work.

He cried as soon as he took a breath, "We're going have to hustle for this first job, so pick up your feet, skinny! It's all business from here on out!" Ordering me towards the shelves along the wall, he immediately resumed his meticulous study of U-Mos on the table, tinkering with a complicated set of magnifying glasses broad enough for his eye. "Go find the largest bottle you can - I prefer the wide-mouth ones! - and bring it here, you," he demanded.

Darting over to the shelves, I scanned each of them for the bottle he requested. Each shelf was packed with all manner of trinkets and junk, barely fitting onto them. I found myself mildly interested in some of the objects, which distracted me from my task. A chunk of mineral, the remains of a Sentinel Crystal, a leaf emblazoned with burns...

Arlot's patience disappeared after mere moments, and without looking at me, he barked, "What are you doing perusing my stuff? This isn't a gallery! Hurry up, you! The body can't wait forever!"

Panicking, I beat my wings and grabbed the first bottle I saw, quickly landing and giving it to him. I didn't notice until then that it was less of a bottle and more of a flask. While two of his frontmost claws were occupied, the leftmost one snatched the bottle out of my hands. He glanced at it swiftly before grunting, "No! This one won't work! Grab a BIGGER one! Time is crucial, here!" He then tossed it aside, intending for me to catch it as it fell from his claw.

Caught by surprise, I missed it, and it shattered on my toes. My eyes watered after I released a small squeak.

Heaving a dramatic moan, Arlot rolled his eye. "Gah! You're a wreck, girl!" He momentarily halted his work and scowled into the glass pieces and my bleeding, bruised toes. "Ugh, clean that up-" I started to bend over, but he cut himself off and restated, _"Later. Later. _We have a job to do. For now, just find another bottle." He violently nudged my shoulder. "Go!"

Obeying him, I streaked over to the shelves (ignoring the throbbing of my poor, poor toes) as he grumbled once more, "Some present," and became immersed in his work above U-Mos.

Finally, after enduring more of his shrieks for haste, I found the widest, most massive bottle in the entire room and slid it on the table beside U-Mos' neck. "Does this work better?" I asked. Arlot didn't miss a single stroke of his claws as he continued working, undeterred. Peeking at the thing, he nodded.

"It'll do." He paused briefly. "Err, yes, go and fill this up with that goo in the corner. Make sure it's full, you hear?" He forced the bottle into my face, not looking up from his magnifying glass. He seemed to be inspecting U-Mos' carapace.

I took it and sped to the corner, avoiding the spilt glass. Hesitating before filling the bottle, I asked, "Do I just grab it with my hands?" The goo was shiny, and stunk of pungent mold. My mandibles curled in revolt.

"What, are you afraid of it? Just palm the stuff and stick it into the bottle. It's completely sanitary! And, it's actually rather strengthening," Arlot replied. "The smell will wash off in a few days. Quit being a girl and man up, you."

I paused. _How do I quit being a girl? _I wondered. Groaning to myself, I knelt and stuck my hand into the goo, fighting off the urge to retch. Shivering, I began scooping the lukewarm slop into the bottle, the stench like a heatwave. "Good Aether," I murmured under my breath. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"You almost finished? We need that solution fast!" Arlot called. "I've got the rest of the ingredients here."

"Coming!" Wiping my slick, smelly hand on my leg, I rose and dashed back to Arlot's side, landing the bottle brimming with the goop near his elbow.

He set aside his magnifying glass and began to carve out a hole in the middle of the goop, slapping the excess onto the table. He took in a profound breath. "Ah, nothing like a fresh batch of this stuff to clean your sinuses, eh?" he chortled. "Burns everything in there..."

He then raised a bowl to the jar, and poured a curdling mixture into the hole he carved from the goo. Gradually, the mixture began to diffuse into the goop, which melted into a thick, pus-like liquid. I had to restrain a gag.

Arlot spilt the rest of the remaining goop on the table into the bottle, where it blended into the liquid. Stirring it with a swivel of his claw, he smiled in success.

"Good job, you. This is a perfect-ish blend," he congratulated, though with some noticeable difficulty. "And in quite a time, too. You know, for a Luminoth..."

A moment of awkwardness passed. Peering into the liquid, I wondered, "Exactly... what did we make?"

Arlot patted U-Mos' chest gently. "Fortifying Blend. U-Mos'll need it when he's back on his feet."

"Well, what is it for?" _Were questions allowed? I can't quite remember..._

Arlot didn't seem to notice. He reached across the table and to what seemed to be a black mound of muscle, which he tied around the bottle's mouth. The top immediately sealed itself by the muscle spreading over it. "U-Mos was a healthy Luminoth in life, I deduced. But after we're through with preparations, his body will be exceedingly fragile. This solution that we made...," He raised the bottle and sloshed it around. "Will help to strengthen him so he won't break."

I tried to imagine the figure of U-Mos based on what he was telling me, but I couldn't. He hadn't given me enough information. "May I ask... What would happen if he_ broke?"_

Arlot became serious. "Horrible, horrible things."

"Like what?"

He scowled at me. "You ask a lot of questions. Maybe I should ban that..." He glanced back to U-Mos' corpse, shirking my asking. "To avert possible beating, let's just hope that nothing of that gravity will arise, shall we?" Retreating from the conversation, he began throwing aside the tools he was using without care as to how they landed where he threw them. He only cringed once when one of his spyglasses cracked. _"Oog..."_

When watching U-Mos, I remembered something. I took the chance and said, "Arlot, seeing as we'll be working together, can I ask you a question?"

He paused, watching me cautiously. "Err... okay?"

I took a breath. "You seem to be one of the more important aspects of the Horde's operation, and I was hoping you could answer some open thoughts for me. You know, so I can understand this situation better."

Arlot scrutinized my expression, almost attempting to read the questions right out of me. "What's eating at you?"

I blinked, spitting it out. "Who is the third Luminoth?"

He suddenly became defensive. "And where did you hear of this?"

I clasped my fingers together, shrugging. "The Emperor might have mentioned it. I was curious."

Arlot exhaled, an air of secrecy overcoming him. "He's a complicated fellow. Difficult to read some days, since he keeps himself shut with a lock that's practically impossible to pick... unless you know him well enough, that is." His tentacles shivered. "I'm one of the lucky ones who knows how to get into his head."

"Do you know what he looks like?" I asked, my curiosity spiking.

His brow furrowed, he watching me as if the answer were obvious. "Of course I do. I work very closely with him, and I will later, too." Arlot stole a fleeting glance to U-Mos before continuing. "Eh, most of the Ing haven't seen him, but on the rare occasion he does show, he's extremely hard to miss. Makes quite an impression on _anyone_ who crosses his path, he does."

Learning all this only increased my longing to meet this enigmatic Luminoth. Who was he, exactly? And, more importantly, _where_ was he? I simply had to know.

"Will I be able to meet him?" I wondered, both afraid and excited at what the answer could have been.

After a moment or two, Arlot seemed to grin. "Oh, you will. I guarantee."

_Wow. _I was stricken with chills.

"All right..." He said gruffly, safely tucking the solution into U-Mos' elbow. "I probably shouldn't have told you any of that, but what the heck. An apprentice ought to know a thing or two of what we're doing..." He changed the subject in a heartbeat. "On another note, we've all had a rather exciting past twenty-four hours, wouldn't you agree?" "Yes, sir," I replied, already feeling the intensity of our conversation dissipate and exhaustion come on.

"I say, since we're finished with this stage of prep, we go and relax till the fun begins. It _is_ around two in the morning, after all... Are you hungry?"

In response, my stomach grumbled. I grinned, slightly abash. "A little."

Arlot smiled. "Good, because I'm starving. You know how long I've been working and calculating over U-Mos? Too long, let me say!" He began leading us out of the room. "Come on. I have a feeling that the sandbats will be succulent tonight."

_Sandbats?_

"Wait, wait," I interrupted. "You _eat_ the _sandbats?"_ My hunger diminished into nausea at our stop in the doorway.

He stood, baffled, gawking at me. "Uh, yeah. Why not?"

"That's barbaric!" I retorted in horror.

"Hey, what did you expect? We Ing are meat-lovers after all, not some fruit-eating pacifists." Arlot lit up, unexpectedly. I found his enthusiasm daunting. "Besides, sandbats are only for regular meals. When they start to migrate from the caves and to Agon, that's when the real meals begin!"

I pushed away the thought of biting into an innocent little sandbat's wing. "Real meals?"

He grinned. "Oh, yeah. I'm talking about Raids."

"What? Raids?" I slowly processed this. "As in, raiding the Tempest City?" I was aghast. "How could you-"

"No, no, don't think like that. That's too Luminoth, and you're an Ing, now, aren't you? Contrary to your judgement, they're actually really fun." His eye danced with ideas. "I'll have to take you on the next one..."

I shook my head stubbornly. "No. Count me out. I'd rather starve than steal."

He chuckled. "Suit yourself."

I sighed and placed a hand on my hip. "So where are we going? The slaughterhouse, was it?"

"Just follow me, you," he backfired with a hinted scowl.

Arlot dragged me beyond his room, where we marauded onward. We walked for a while through the twisting passageways of the caves. I had no idea where he was taking me, but I figured that our destination had something to do with food. I guessed, during the walk, that he was leading me to the mess hall, and based on the length of the journey, Arlot's chamber was a far distance from it.

Eventually, we arrived in silence, and I gaped. The mess hall was positively enormous - its ceiling was shrouded in shadows, with stalactite-tips dangling from the black depths. Between those stalactites fluttered swarms of sandbats, who were shrieking and flying in clouds of panic. All around them lurked Ing in their puddle-forms, sneaking out every so often to catch one of the hapless creatures in their jaws.

Laugher and merriment rang throughout this broad room. Far on the floor, the Ing, silhouetted by redroot beams, had settled into small packs, openly conversing above the small bodies of the sandbats that acted as their meals. I watched each of them with profound disgust.

My escort took notice of this. "Wipe that look off your face," Arlot hissed as we entered together. "If you're going to live here, you will need to adjust to our food. We can't have you malnourished, now can we? You've got some value, I guess." I puffed out a breath in repugnance. He tapped a leg. "I mean, if you get past the crunchy outer-skin, the tender meat on the inside of these flapping delicacies isn't too bad."

After battling against my better judgement, I succumbed to myself. Even though I was opposed to eating those poor little creatures, the snarling of my stomach was too much to refuse. Sighing, I said, "As long as I do not have to see it be killed, then I will eat it, I suppose."

Arlot perked up, laughing. "Your inner Ing's finally poking through, eh?" he chortled. "Very well, then. C'mon, I'll go catch us a few, since you are lacking in claws. Go find somewhere to sit. I'll find you afterward."

"Okay." Before I could leave, he caught me by the shoulder, also catching my surprise. "Huh? What is it?"

He focused deeply into me. "Hey... be cautioned - while you're sitting, don't look at anyone, or _talk_ to anyone, understand? With you here, things'll get dangerous around." He squinted into the eyes of several Ing. "Frankly, I don't trust the lot of them."

I blinked several times. "More dangerous than usual?" I marveled.

He shrugged. "More or less. Keep your wits about you at all times. The consequences could prove to your benefit."

Gently pushing me away from him, he retreated towards one of the walls. Staring after him only for a second, I looked away and began walking between the clusters of Ing around me, avoiding the stares and scrutinizing eyes as I walked. It felt as if I were being spotlighted. Spotlighted by red, flaming eyes.

After weaving through the bunches of gathered Ing, I found a suitable spot to sit. On the outskirts of several large groups, I retired to the cavern floor, hidden in their shadows. Only the passing stares of surrounding Horde-members glinted me visible. I focused on my hands in my lap, remembering Arlot's command of not looking to anybody. For some time, I remained discreet.

That was, until my feet were washed with a vibrant garnet glow, and several, elegant pairs of claws scratched beside me. It only took me a few seconds to realize who the Ing present was before I heard her cold, luxurious voice.

"Well, I'm surprised the Emperor didn't put a collar on her," Delain spat.

Another female voice chimed like wicked bells, "He treats her like a pet, after all! What is next? Grooming?"

A third voice, one filled with jealousy and ringing with seduction, "What does he see in that scrap of Light-trash, anyway? ...Perhaps he's desperate enough to want a mate?"

Delain and her two cohorts broke into laughter, which rattled me considerably. I had never taken criticism very well... especially criticism of this caliber. It took a great amount of my willpower to focus on staring at the runes on my legs, and avoid glancing up into the faces of the Ing females.

Delain added to that last statement, stooping slightly and hissing into my ear for added emphasis, "Can't be. She is much too ugly for _that." _Her companions gasped, giggling afterward to themselves. "Besides, who would want to be a mate to a _Luminoth?"_

Before any further jibes could be said, a gushy whacking noise issued from Delain's general direction, and she began to spurt out grunts of defile. Due to the noise, I looked up towards the foursome of Ing above me. Three of them consisted of Delain, another five-legged female Ing, and one hovering, blue-cored Ing. The other figure was Arlot, lowering the elbow that had just stricken Delain upside the head.

"Shut up, Delain," he growled at her. Her companions hissed at him. "Just because you can't find a mate of your own, that doesn't empower you to beat up on other females because they're prettier than you are." He scowled at her, exuding a powerful, yet offhand persona.

In that moment after his remark, as I stared into his warm, mahogany eye. I was overcome by warmth that made my head spin. It was a very odd sensation.

It quickly vanished as Delain, somehow undaunted by Arlot hitting her, began to flamboyantly pose. "What do we have here?" she crooned, her eye darting up and down Arlot. A shiver ran beneath his hide. "Off duty, are you?"

He dully said, "Do I look like I'm in my workroom?"

"Ignore that, Arlot. How about you and I go share this meal together?" She had spotted the pair of sandbats he cradled, one of them skinned. Her eye lit up, assuming it was for her. "You even finished the preparations for it, too! You are too good to me, you know that?"

Arlot shook his head, donning an expression of smugness. "Aw, what a shame." Shoving his way past her, he approached me, curling his legs till he was on his knees by my side. "It seems that I am previously unavailable. Sorry about that."

Her eye widened, hatred leaking into it. She spluttered, "With _her?"_

"Better believe it. She's under my care, now." He waved a claw to her passively. "Go away, Delain."

Her tentacles coiling in on themselves, Delain stomped away in a fume, her companions speeding to follow her.

Arlot handed me my sandbat as soon as she was gone, grousing aloud to himself, "What a floozy. I can't stand the way she thinks that I am her mate! Or when she flirts with me! Contemptible, it is..." He made a guttural gagging noise, shuddering. "I must admit, though, that was one of my better blow-offs." He immediately fell into a reverent chorus of chuckling, glancing at me. "Did you see her face? Classic!"

Holding my sandbat numbly, I merely ogled at him. _Did he say what I think he said?_ I thought, exceedingly confused.

"What?" he pressed, now annoyed.

"You really think I'm... pretty?" I gawked.

Arlot immediately lowered his face, his brow furrowing. "I-I never said that; I never said anything of that sort." Dodging conversation, he hurriedly bit into his sandbat, chewing and avoiding eye contact with me. "What are _you_ thinking?" he asked around a mouthful.

Not sure whether I was to be flattered or aloof, I nibbled the end of my sandbat's fleshy wing, barely tasting. It was utterly impossible that Arlot would start to feel _that_ way with me... We had only met this morning. Did he really mean it? Or was he simply trying to damage Delain? I had always thought of myself as different, but, never _pretty._ The word boosted me in the slightest.

"Of course... What was I thinking?" I murmured, beginning to eat.

* * *

><p>"That should just about do it," Arlot concluded with a sigh.<p>

Looking up from his back, I glanced to U-Mos' body, off of the slab of stone and now on a clean, shining operation table. He seemed peaceful atop it, but I vaguely wondered why Arlot had transferred him from the stone and to the table.

"I have another question..." I proposed.

Arlot's shoulders sagged. "Wonderful. Spit it out."

I pointed to the table. "Why did we-"

"Exchange? Simple, really. This table will take care of the mess that could arise after tonight." He stroked the table. "I wouldn't want a stained rock, would I?"

I cringed. "Er... the mess?" _That sounds foul..._

"You see-"

Arlot cut himself off. A procession of ticking and whispering issued from the corridor outside of the chamber, beams of scarlet igniting the stone and overwhelming the redroots' luminosity. Before I had time to fully understand what was happening, a wave of Ing, many of them in their ooze-forms, gushed through the doorway and into the chamber, with the Emperor at their head. They each crammed in, clutching the walls and ceiling. I was surprised that the entirety of the Ing Horde fit into Arlot's small operating room.

They seethed with anticipation, excitedly murmuring to one another. Many eyes focused on U-Mos' body earnestly and, almost hungrily. I had the instinct to leap over and block him from their view.

"Is it time?" one of them said.

"At last. At _long, tiresome_ last!" another added, fidgeting.

The Emperor silenced them by stepping forward. He was brimming with pride, puffing his chest and smiling at Arlot and I fondly. "I assume preparations are completed?" he asked, his voice powerful.

Arlot straightened. "You assume correct, Emperor." He gestured to U-Mos. "We are ready to begin immediately."

"Begin?" I wondered. "Begin what?"

Arlot peeked at me over his shoulder, his eye shimmering. "This is where the fun starts."

I didn't inquire further, an unknown fear consuming me. I took a step back, my heart hammering.

We both looked to the Emperor, who was turned towards U-Mos, smirking. "Proceed, then."

Thrill saturated the air as Arlot walked towards the table that held U-Mos. He knelt, reaching between the table's legs and towards something concealed by a dark piece of Splinter-web fabric. I peered closer as he stood, removing the shroud to reveal a cylindrical tank of some kind, made with transparent glass. It was filled with murky water, and something thick, long and squirming swam within it.

He removed the cap and discarded it, standing beside the table. Lowering his claw into the tank, Arlot scooped up the creature, which began wailing and gasping for air when he brought it out of the water.

It was about the length of my forearm, this thing. It was worm-like, with a long, skinny mouth filled with small, sharp-edged teeth. Three circular, milky-grey eyes enveloped the mouth, opening and closing. Its pale skin was ridged with goosebumps, and though the thing was thick, vertebrae were visible through the skin.

_ What are we going to with an infant Amorbis?_

Arlot, keeping his face from the Amorbis, lifted his claw to U-Mos' abdomen. My body shivered at the sight of him afterward as he dug into U-Mos' wound, deepening it. Blood spilled onto the table. When through, he paused, turning back to me.

"E-Mir, would you care to do the honors?" he asked.

I remained planted to my spot, trying to ignore the onslaught of Ing shouting approvals and urges.

"Yeah, let her do it!" and "Make her! Make her!" sounded from the audience.

I refused to move. Someone then shoved me forward, where I collided clumsily into Arlot's arms. He wrapped a free claw around me, then offered me the Amorbis. "You would be doing U-Mos a great service," he enticed.

Without even realizing it, I had gingerly reached forward, taking the Amorbis in-hand. I nearly jumped. It was slimy and rough, its vertebrae providing for a suitable grip as it writhed, screeching. I simply held it there, shaking from fear and anxiety, not knowing what to do with it.

Arlot gently eased my hand lower towards the gap in U-Mos' abdomen. "Go on, E-Mir," he whispered.

The moment I realized what the purpose for this thing was, the Amorbis had leapt from my hand and into U-Mos' wound, uttering gluttonous sucking noises as it began to feed on his innards. My stomach reeled; already, its head had vanished into the recesses of his body. Its tail flailed wildly around as it attempted to propel itself further into him. Its body-tint sunk into a deep, crimson red.

My gasping and thudding heart was unheard over the loud crescendo of cheers that had erupted from the Ing surrounding. Those who were on their feet pounding their claws into the floor. Jubilant hissing sizzled through the room, making my vision shift. I could hardly breathe, and my stomach was becoming more and more upset when the end of the Amorbis disappeared into U-Mos.

The Emperor's voice rose above the boom of the cavern. "THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING, BOYS! ALL HAIL THE ING HORDE!" He began to laugh malignantly. "HA HA HA HA HA!'

The Horde burst into a chant in their disturbing Ing language, consisting of roaring, screeching, and hissing. It shook the room. Even Arlot joined in.

My stomach was out of control by this point.

Slapping my hand over my mandibles, I fled the premises, pushing my way through the crowd. Those I ran by abandoned the chant, and laughed at me instead. I stumbled into the hallway, tripping over my steps and attempting to get as far as possible from that ghastly, horrific room and the disgusting process that I had just set off.

_What have I done to you, U-Mos?_

Before long, however, my legs fell slack. I collapsed to the floor in a heap, trying to stabilize my stomach. It stirred and burned, which pounded my head and dried my throat.

I laid there for some time until footsteps encroached my position, stopping gradually till they halted at my side. Someone knelt and rolled me from my front and onto my back, fresh tears now streaming down my face. Through bleary vision, I met the face of Arlot, who was both concerned and disappointed at the same time.

He only watched me quietly. "What have I done to him?" I whispered weakly.

Then Arlot did something I wasn't expecting - he gently patted my face, then said softly, "U-Mos' body will change when he rises. We can't keep his innards where they are. He'll be nothing but a walking, rotting heap if we do." He smiled. "We have to feed that little Amorbis, anyway. Trust me. It's for the best."

"The best...? Are you sure?"

His eye softened. "As the sun."

Exhaling slowly, I closed my eyes.

**Don't you just love the Ing? I finally got to write some of my favorite characters! Yay!**

** Anyway, I will do my best to shorten the wait on this next chapter. :) Tell me what you think!**

** See you later!**


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